


Shades of Shadow

by ShadowHaloedAngel



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Flirting, Battle weariness, Character Study, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Female Friendship, Femslash, Flirting, Force rituals, Forged Alliances, Gen, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Jedi, Jedi Code, Kissing, Lana likes to cook, Lesbians in Space, Meditation, More to come as fic continues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rishi, Sauna, Shadow of Revan, Sith, Sith Code, Tea, The Force, shower scene, tea fixes everything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-05-07 21:09:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14679546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowHaloedAngel/pseuds/ShadowHaloedAngel
Summary: The Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order has walked a long and weary road by the time she gets to Rishi. She is scarred emotionally and physically, and doubts are nagging at every turn. As unlikely as it seems, the only person who even begins to understand is a very unusual Sith Lord with eyes as warm as the sun. The Force has many facets, not just two sides, and sometimes there is middle ground to be found.Set at the beginning of the Shadow of Revan expansion, slight canon divergence but will deal with canon events.





	1. Barsen'thor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Amaranthe (awildlokiappears)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/awildlokiappears/gifts).



Barsen'thor. It was a word that echoed in her mind, a mantle that lay heavy on her shoulders. Warden of the Jedi Order, a title rarely used, bestowed only on those whose service was unparalleled. She might not be Hero of Tython, but she was Barsen'thor, and in some ways that meant more. It was rarer. It implied that she was capable of jobs others might not be. She was a consular, and that was a role which was different from that of the Knights, yet equally important. It was not a journey she regretted embarking upon, even now, but it had taken her further from Tython, from Coruscant, than many Jedi ever ventured... and she bore the scars of it still. 

She had borne the scars of her powers and her path even before setting foot on Tython to take up the role of Yuon Par's padawan. It had been an honour to be selected and sent to Tython for further training, but she had realised when there that her power, her innate talent for the force was indeed stronger than many of the others. It wasn't a source of pride or arrogance, she hadn't used that to set herself above anyone. But it was something she could not help but be aware of, and at times it felt like more of a curse than an honour. What had it brought her, other than suffering and loss and pain? 

She'd been so brave back then, so full of purpose and positive energy to make a change and use the force for good. She had embraced the Jedi code, made it part of every action, meditated upon it for hours in the peaceful groves of the Jedi homeworld. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force. 

Except that her journey had introduced her to a whole range of emotion, and very little peace. The galaxy had been teetering on the brink of open war for so long, but the Treaty of Coruscant was holding... it had held, until it held no longer. Ignorance was an excuse for many poor decisions, but knowledge justified almost as many. Passion had been a novelty too. Jedi were not supposed to love, to open themselves to that kind of temptation, that kind of vulnerability... but Felix had offered it to her, and the Force had not warned her away. There was little harmony to be found outside the Core Worlds, even away from Tython itself, and she had seen plenty of death. She had caused almost as much. 

Her crew were scattered now. Nadia had completed her Padawan's training and gone to Coruscant to advocate for the people she claimed as her own. The Republic had reassigned Felix, and although he wrote, although they had pledged to stay faithful, it wasn't the same and she had released him from his vows to her. Qyzen had his own apprentices now, and they were often impossible to reach. Zenith was dedicated to Balmorra and with all out war he had become a fierce lobbyist, and Tharan was back on Nar Shaddaa with Holiday, solving complex problems and selling tech to the highest bidders with an acceptable moral code. 

She was alone now, in a way she hadn't been before Rakata Prime. That had been where this all began. Not quite, though. It had started on the Republic Fleet, with an SIS agent with golden brown eyes she could drown in and a last name which would echo down epochs. It had started with a strike on the Sith homeworld, and at the time there had been enough rage in her heart to accept it, believing the idea that if they could cow them into submission it might result in the loss of fewer lives. It never worked that way truly, not with Sith, and instead of Korriban her homeworld had burned. Something had seemed off then, and the Force which was usually a wellspring of strength, had an echo in it of something new, something... wrong.

There had been no time to investigate, and the brief leave she'd had from the battlefront had been on Manaan, investigating the fall out from the assaults on centres of Force learning... and meeting Lana Beniko. It had been a surprise to realise that Sith could look like that. She had known there were human Sith lords, that much was no secret, but usually the Dark seemed to eat away at them, turning them into shadows of their former selves, although Sith were equally known for lascivious behaviour and appearance. Passion was the foundation of their code, and they embraced it fully. 

Lana had saved her life, and she had come face to face with a Lord of the Sith, with golden eyes even warmer than Theron's the only mark of the Dark magics she wielded. Lana was skilled with a saber too, and there would come a time the Barsen'thor would be grateful for that. 

Manaan had turned into Corellia, and the betrayal which had struck at the heart of the faith she had had in the Jedi Council. It had been easy - too easy - to put faith in them after she had lost everything at an early age. The Jedi Council, her brothers and sisters in the Force, they were her family. Until Korriban. Until Tython. Until Syo. 

It was in the aftermath of that when she was still reeling from the losses that the orders had begun to come through, calling Felix away first, and then Qyzen to lead a hunt, and Zenith was needed by his people, and Tharan needed space to work, and, and, and... Nadia had stayed, when she had received the summons to Rakata Prime, Nadia had stayed... and they had won, but it wasn't enough. They had won breathing space, and all they ever seemed to get was breathing space, but breathing space was not enough any more, not when one could not pause long enough in it to catch one's breath. 

Theron, Lana, Jakarro... they had to run, and the last remaining allies, the last remaining people she might have called friend had disappeared for their own sake as she went alone to Makeb to negotiate with the Hutt Cartel and attempt to stop the destabilisation and destruction of the planet. There was still no time to breathe, and the comfort once offered by the familiar words of the code was starting to feel hollow. She would spend hours in a meditative stance, focussing on her breathing, trying to find that inner peace, the serenity which allowed her to be at one with the Force and to plunge into its wellspring and emerge refreshed and replenished... but where once had been a bottomless torrent, the flow of it was waning, and the words offered her no solace, no matter how she tried to force herself to discipline. 

Was this what falling felt like? She didn't know. 

The summons to Rishi had been unexpected, and although the war seemed to have quietened down, the Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order had had no peace. She had been travelling from world to world, running missions, offering counsel and aid, and combat support where it was necessary, working to keep the galaxy as safe and whole as it ever might be. It was dangerous to come to rest. If she came to rest she would have to acknowledge everything, and it was racing down on her like a tidal wave already. She would never be able to outrun it, but she was going to ensure the galaxy was in the best possible place before she succumbed, not knowing what would come out on the other side. 

Jedi were not supposed to feel pain, or loss, or sorrow. Everything was ordained by the Force, and that was supposed to be comforting, but it was cold comfort when it left her alone night after night, forever on the move and unable to sleep for fear of the visions that came from within her own head. She was hungry, but almost unaware of it, eating when Seetoo put meals in front of her. Nutrition held little interest for her and everything tasted like sawdust. 

When she was greeted by crier droids, and an entire world convinced she was a barbarous pirate captain, she wasn't sure whether to scream, cry, or laugh. A Jedi could never do such things, but she could not swear that she herself was incapable. Had she earned that reputation? What had she done that could leave people so scared? But from the outside, Jedi and Sith could be just as intimidating, and it was easy to fall into arrogance when convinced you were using your powers for others own good. 

She could feel the dark at her heels, she could feel her connection to the Force fading and flickering, and the lightsaber at her side would only be her friend so long as she was worthy of wielding it, so long as she could control it, and neither was something she was sure of for the moment.


	2. Arrival and a Healing

Lana Beniko's bright eyes were the warmest she had felt in a long time, and although her defences were thin and brittle, although she wanted so badly to spill her turmoil to one who seemed as though she might understand... She no longer had the words. Jedi were not the subject of other's concern, Jedi were always alright, always strong, and they were the safeguards of innocents the galaxy over. So what if her head ached as though a dagger were being forced into the base of her skull, pulsing so it even made her vision flicker at times and the healers on Tython could do nothing (another concern about the reach of the dark side of the Force). So what if sleep was a distant memory, and comfort further still. Jedi were strong, and as a Warden of the Jedi Order she was held to a higher standard still. 

It was a standard she could no longer measure up to. She no longer even knew how. 

"Master Jedi?" 

Lana's voice was soft, and the Empire accent didn't seem so harsh from her. It was low, and warm, and the Barsen'thor felt the warmth wash over her for the first time in a long time. It was fleeting, but there all the same. Suddenly she was aware how tired she was, how weary. It was more then tiredness. The flank wound she'd taken on Corellia, the shot to her thigh... they all throbbed somehow. Healers were spread thin in this war, and she couldn't take resources from others who might need them. Jedi were strong and self sufficient. 

"Lord Beniko... how are you Lana?" 

It was important to ask. Her allies had been gone, the fallout from their previous fight had destroyed their careers where the Barsen'thor had faced few to no consequences for it. Lana had lost her position at Sith Intelligence, Theron had lost his at SIS and Jakarro and Deefour had more bounties on their heads than ever before. Aloomma wasn't sure how Lana had taken the loss of the job which had been so important to her. Being on the run could take its toll and the consequences for being found could have fallen so heavily on their necks. 

She stood taller, instinctively not betraying any sign of weakness, not in front of a Sith even this Sith. She couldn't be weak here. Not on a pirate planet. Not in front of a Sith Lord. Not ever. Her body ached with the force of will. 

"Are you tired? Hungry?" Lana side stepped the question deftly. 

"...Both. It's been... it was a long journey. I suspect mine was easier than yours, though. Are Theron and Jakarro with you?"

"They are, they're currently out following up some leads. Come on; you look exhausted."

She didn't have it in her to argue even then, even after all of that. Instead she asked the most important question. 

"Is it far?"

"Not at all."

Aloomma nodded, rolling her shoulders, trying to force the thoughts of protesting muscles and barely healed wounds from her body as she followed Lana through Raiders' Cove, every danger sense in her body thrumming. This was better than Empire territory, but not by much. People here didn't care whether they killed Jedi, Sith, or anyone at all. She might have a reputation as a fearsome pirate captain but... well. The problem with being a big name was that it painted a target on your back. The next big name could get bigger still by taking the previous one down. You couldn't rely on any kind of protection here. 

She followed Lana to a quiet alleyway, and checked around again one more time before following her inside, to an even quieter hideout. 

"How are you?"

Lana's voice was gentle, and Aloomma considered whether or not to answer honestly. She wasn't entirely sure where to start. If she even could start. It wasn't worth it. A Sith, even an ally, a... friend like Lana - it was strange to think of a Sith as a friend - they wouldn't care. Not having been on the run for months, facing consequences that she hadn't had to deal with. 

"I've been better, but then, I haven't been on the run."

She wanted so much, so desperately, to keep the focus anywhere but herself. It would be dangerous if anyone looked too closely. She couldn't quite explain how it would be dangerous, she only knew that it would be.

"Fair enough." Lana's smile was gentle, the curve of her lips almost mesmerising, so soft, so... genuine in a galaxy falling apart. 

"How are you all?"

"We're doing well enough, though of course Deefour is slightly more murderous."

That made her smile a little. 

"I'm strangely glad to hear it."

Lana chuckled. 

"I was too, but I may be doubting that feeling. In any case...we've been looking into the Revanite camps and the Nova Blades. We'd like you to act as the Captain of the Red Hulls."

Aloomma sighed. 

"Yes. I rather guessed that from my welcome."

Lana frowned, seemingly processing that information, then she sighed heavily, hitting the surface of the desk with her fist. There was no real rage to the gesture. Lana never wasted her rage. She kept it coiled tight, tucked inside until she needed it. 

"...Dammit, Theron. He should have warned you. He was supposed to."

"Well, he didn't. Maybe it got lost in the ether." Aloomma sighed, a whole body, weary, worn sigh. 

Lana grumbled, and it was so reassuring to hear someone else be annoyed on her behalf. 

"Still. Unacceptable. I'm so very sorry."

The Barsen'thor considered hand waving it away. It was okay. It was all okay. When people treated her poorly, when people didn't give her the information she needed, when people continued to throw things at her, expecting her to catch them, expecting her to cope... it was never ending. And she was tired. She was so, so tired, and she simply couldn't cope any more. Instead she accepted the apology. After a moment, she nodded, strangely grateful that the first person willing to recognise the load on her shoulders, the first person willing to offer her sympathy and understanding was a Sith Lord. 

"Thank you."

"Wine?"

Aloomma nodded. Meal packs were unappetising enough, and although the prospect of alcohol had been very appealing, Jedi weren't usually known to frequent cantinas. Particularly not young, pretty, female Jedi, on the kinds of planets she'd been spending time on recently. It hadn't been so bad when she had her crew with her, but now she was alone. Always alone. She'd almost hesitated, wondering whether the wine might loosen her tongue unwisely, but at this point anything that numbed the pain, the physical pain in her head, in her side, the ache in her heart, the void where the Force had once been... she wanted a drink. 

"Speaking of Theron, where is he?"

"Infiltration in the Nova Blades, trying to get more information."

"Right. I suppose it makes sense to get as much information as possible."

"Quite. Fortunately that's what Theron and I specialise in."

"True enough, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have doing that particular job."

"That's kind. Does it apply to both of us?"

"Of course. We might spend most of our time on opposite sides, but... your career in Sith Intelligence has been impressive, and you don't have that kind of career if you don't have actual skill to back it up. You're strong in the Force, that much I know, but there are plenty of Force-users who don't use their brains. I respect your abilities, and I trust the information you give me, despite the fact that you could use it to take advantage of me if you wanted to."

"Do you think I would?" Lana asked, a small smile in her voice, one perfectly groomed eyebrow arching slightly. There was something to it though, although she was trying to make a joke of it... there was a real question, something fundamental to the relationship they were trying to build. 

Aloomma watched her for a long moment, and then shook her head. 

"No. I don't think you would. Although that being said, I'm not sure I'd care that much if you did."

Lana frowned a little, surprised by that but deciding that now wasn't the time to pursue that line of questioning. Her time in Intelligence had given her the skills to get the most out of a subject, and although she certainly didn't approach her friends the same way as a matter of course, there were times when it was useful. She was concerned, and there were some signs, tell tale hints that all was not right with the Jedi on whom the future of the galaxy was resting. 

Aloomma rubbed her temples again, pulling a face, and closing her eyes a moment. 

"Do we have long before they come back? Not... that your company's terrible or anything... I realise I'm probably sounding hugely ungrateful. I'm... glad you're here."

It was true. It was strange to realise, but it was true. The question itself hadn't been motivated by any kind of desperation for Theron to act as a buffer, quite the opposite. Lana felt like a balm on jangled nerves and she wanted, /needed/ to know how long this respite might last. 

"Probably a day at least, and it's alright, I quite understand."

"I'm just trying to work out how long we have..." The attempt at an explanation was lame, weak, but it was offered as some kind of conciliation, aware that she was not acting particularly diplomatically or kindly towards this woman who was a loyal friend.

"About a day or two before the others come back, and a week before the Revanites." 

Lana's response was crisp, there was no need for spare words when the bare facts were so important and time so short. 

An awkward nod. 

"I... really would love some wine." Aloomma offered, an attempt to break the silence, an attempt to keep the conversation going before the void could yawn open in front of her again. 

"Of course."

Lana poured a generous glass, and slid it over towards her. 

In return, the Jedi lifted the glass and toasted her. She was wordless, there was nothing she could try to say. The traditional words, wishes for good health, for companions to find strength in the Force... they felt so empty. She had no connection enough to wish it for another and it was hard, so hard to realise that. Once upon a time, not so long ago it seemed now, she had been willing, more than willing to toast freely and share joy and libation. Even Lana's favourite words of farewell, 'May the Force serve you well' didn't feel right on her lips. 

Lana mirrored the toast, down to the lack of words. It felt unnatural, almost as unnatural as drinking with a Jedi had been once upon a time. But it was another mental note she made. When they'd first met, the connection to the Force had been something they'd shared. They approached it differently, but Lana could sense the strength in this Jedi Theron had brought on board. Now that power was... damped somehow. It was there still, but something was not... right. The echoes of it were all wrong, like discordant notes underlying a familiar tune. Lana had always quickly attuned to the powers of those around her, and although they had not known each other long, their time had been fraught and intimate, and Lana had found the harmony of the other's Force powers comforting. 

Lana sipped the wine, letting it swirl richly across her tongue. It was very good, and there was a pleasant spice to it. She set her glass down and reached for a pie, slicing through the golden crust and passing a piece to the diplomat sitting opposite her. 

The other woman eyed it, it had caught her interest at least a little. 

"What is it?"

"Belsavis raspberries. Rare, and absolutely delicious."

The raspberries looked enough like blood to make her stomach turn, but the smell was sweet and she was hungry. When was the last time she'd eaten real food... was it on Corellia? Or... before?

"I'm impressed. I guess food in a place like this is either luxury or awful with little in between?"

"More or less. All of ours is from my personal stores. I don't trust any others."

"That's... very generous."

"Honestly, it's self preservation."

That won her a laugh, and Lana felt the dread whose grip was tight on her heart loosen a little. It was a good sign, a sign that the woman she had known was still in there somewhere. 

She grinned brightly in return, eager to make the most of this moment. 

"After some of the meals I've seen, I figured it was safer."

A small smile still lingered on the Jedi's lips as she took a fork and began poking at the pie, glancing up from beneath long lashes. 

"You do have some sense, then."

"I try."

"You did get mixed up with us, after all. It's hard to tell."

The trademark dry sense of humour which had proved so valuable to them in the series of events that had led to this meeting was still there then. It was long buried, but it was still there, and that was also a relief.

"Sadly, so true." 

Lana's own smile quickly shifted to a frown as Aloomma chuckled, then winced, rubbing her temples again, usually serene features twisted with pain. 

"Headache?"

A brief nod was all the confirmation she needed, and Lana rose, crossing over tentatively. 

"...May... I try something?"

Those calm eyes, deep green like the forests on Tython met hers, and Lana could see flecks of gold in them. There was pain there, and fear too, though Lana didn't believe the fear was because of this, because of her. It would be only natural in some ways to be fearful of showing vulnerability in front of someone who should be a sworn enemy, but this... was something else. 

"...You may. I don't know that it'll help. All the Jedi healers on Tython could do nothing for it."

Now that gave Lana pause for thought. The Jedi healers on Tython were renowned for being some of the strongest in the galaxy, and being surrounded by the source of the power she wielded should have been equally healing. If healing had been sought on Tython, that meant this problem had been plaguing her for a while. They had been so willing to send a wounded Jedi back out into the field? Lana knew resources were stretched thin, that healing was used sparingly on those who were judged not to need it, but this was an area where she found the Empire's use of resources easier to understand. They would support refugees, invest in vulnerable communities, heal those who needed it... but their finest warriors, the ones most vital to the Empire's defence who were at the frontline of this war, they were also privileged with the best support on offer, and they were never sent into the field knowingly at less than full strength. It seemed... ungrateful. 

The Jedi offered her a slight shrug, attempting to force a smile, to yet again wave it off as something unimportant. It was important. It was so important. 

"They ended up telling me to make peace with the pain. To accept it." A slightly bitter laugh escaped, "It's something I would have expected to hear from a Sith. Accept the pain and use it, let it drive you, let it fuel your rage... but from Jedi? From those Jedi? I felt so... I don't know. It was almost worse than the pain, as if they were giving up on me. Telling me that despite everything I've done for them, there was nothing they could do for me, and that it didn't matter. That I should accept it and welcome it as another trial from the Force. I don't know how many more trials I can be expected to- I don't know how many more trials I can endure. At least the Sith are allowed to use their pain." She sighed. "I'm sorry, that was perhaps unfairly bitter."

Lana took a moment to choose her words carefully, aware that it would probably be unwise to undermine the institutions which meant so much to her... friend. Whether or not she agreed with them, she respected them and the woman in front of her. Some Sith would think of it as the perfect opportunity to plant the seeds for a Jedi's fall, to weaken the Republic and the hated order, to deprive them of one of their greatest warriors. 

"I... think that sounds fairly bitter, honestly. Here."

She rested her hands lightly on the woman's temples, manipulating and soothing the pain away, chasing the fire of it out with her own power, back to the source of it... and there it was, a dark mass in her brain, festering, sending out tentacles of pain. Lana frowned, forcing it out, purging it with the purple-black flame of her own power. But that wasn't all, she chased down the shreds of pain which festered still in the Jedi's flank, in the big muscles of her thigh, and allowed her own anger to burn all the more fiercely. This wasn't rage at an enemy, this was anger at the mistreatment of a friend, because she /was/ a friend, a great friend, someone who was patient and kind and funny and fierce and /strong/, who was one of the greatest Jedi that Force-damned council had ever had, a loyal, valuable, faithful asset in their war against the Empire (whatever Lana's personal feelings on that were). And she had been worn thin enough to see right through, exhausted, undernourished, /injured/ and still sent out into the field time and time again. That was enough to make anyone angry, and she could sense the beginnings of it except that... Jedi were not supposed to feel rage. There was no passion, there was serenity. And she had so much righteous anger, but there were barriers, desperate barriers thrown up against it and they were choking off the connection she had to the Force. A wellspring of power which was tinted purple now, where once upon a time it had been a pure clear blue. 

It was the beginning of dark side corruption, and the fear of it, if she could feel it at all, would only be driving the Barsen'thor to choke off her connection more tightly. She was young, still, so very young, and she had experienced pain and suffering enough for a lifetime in a scant number of years and she did not know how to embrace this, did not know that it was normal. The weariest Jedi no longer returned to the Order, they served in the field and they did their best by the code and their own moral guidelines, knowing that perfection was unreachable but that the Force must at least be kept in balance. Perfection was the standard that this young Jedi had been held to, and now the fear of losing it was killing her slowly from the inside out. 

She soothed what she could, watching those perfect features twist in both pain, and the sudden absence that came after, trying to plaster a smile on her face and not give anything away. 

"How's that?"

Her friend stretched, tilting her head from side to side, narrowing her eyes as if testing everything before reaching a judgement. 

"...Better. Thank you. How did you do that? And will it come back?"

Her features had cleared, surprise on her face for a brief moment before it turned to gratitude. There was a poorly concealed shadow of fear in her voice as she asked whether the pain that had dogged her might return. Lana didn't know how to answer that. 

"I did what the healers wouldn't do; I purged the tumour."

"Tumour?"

"It was benign, but useless to stay there and keep bothering you. Sadly, the light side arts don't cure it. Darkness does."

"Why so?"

"I've never figured it out myself, I only know that it is so."

There was naivete, confusion, even the hint of betrayal in those words, as the other woman was confronted with the idea that there were some things the Force she had believed in unquestioningly could not do, even when manipulated by those who used it for good. Surely curing a tumour, chasing out disease, malignant tissue which could only destroy... surely that was something the Light should be able to do... and yet... and yet.

Aloomma simply nodded, weariness etched deeply in every line of face and body, and Lana continued to gently massage her temples. She didn't need her power to offer this kind of physical comfort. 

When Aloomma leaned closer, leaned into the touch of Lana's hands on her temples, leaned into the warmth of the other woman's body, Lana was careful not to betray her surprise. There was trust, and then there was utter vulnerability. Walls only came down like this when one was too tired to keep them up. She could only hope it was temporary exhaustion rather than complete surrender. 

The Jedi's eyes were closed, and as Lana slowly increased the area she was stroking, a few hot tears escaped to slide down her cheeks. 

Lana let the silence stretch, gently stroking her hands from the other woman's temples, over her hair, down her neck, over her shoulders... big circles, sensing the tension there, doing what she could to chase it out. She knew how soothing it could be to simply have another stroke your hair. It was intimate, and comforting. Pets and small children had it rather good from that point of view. 

"You must think me weak."

There was venom in the words, disgust, emotions which were usually foreign to Jedi. Aloomma's voice was shaking, thick with the sorrow that was stoppering her throat, and Lana felt her heart ache. 

"No. I don't." She kept her own voice calm, and tried not to wonder too much at this reversal of fortunes between them both. "I think you're exhausted, drained, and so ready to pass out."

"I can't remember the last time I slept."

There was pain there, and Aloomma's eyes were still closed, as though if she couldn't see the other woman with her, she could remain in denial. It was obvious that she was fighting for control, still fighting against a tidal wave which had been chasing her for a very long time. Lana was not surprised that it was a losing battle. Nobody could go on forever running on fumes, particularly not fighting so hard and long. Bodies always needed to come to rest, and the power of the will could only drive them on so far past what they could endure. 

"I can feel that..."

"What else can you feel?"

"Loneliness, sorrow... loss..."

It was important somehow to acknowledge it. Lana wondered for a moment whether anyone else had acknowledged the burdens which had been placed on the young Barsen'thor's shoulders. Did Aloomma have other friends? When they had last met, the consular had been at the head of a crew, with a padawan of her own. This time she had arrived alone. At the time, Lana had thought it was an effort ot keep their secrets, but now she wasn't sure. Had anyone else been prepared to sit with Aloomma's pain? To listen to her? To acknowledge the sacrifices she had made and validate her emotions? It seemed unlikely from a group which had sent her out with two barely healed injuries and a tumour slowly growing in her head. 

The Jedi looked up then, and eyes which had been intense before were magnified a thousand times by the crystals of unshed tears lingering in the corners. She tilted her head, meeting Lana's gaze directly, almost challenging her. Almost, but not quite. 

"What does the Force show you, Lana Beniko? What does it feel like?"

Lana blinked in surprise, but tried to formulate an answer. 

"It's... shadows and light, every shade and hue of colour..."

"What colour?"

"Every colour... every colour you can see, and so many that can't be seen, only felt, tasted, heard..."

They had mostly shied away from discussions of their relationship to the Force before, and now Lana wondered whether that had been wise. It was something that was difficult to share with others, something she'd barely considered sharing with other Sith (though they were hardly known for true friendship or trustworthiness). She had been surprised by the question, and now she wondered what it was Aloomma had hoped to hear, what the Jedi had told her about the relationship Sith had with the Force. From the expression on Aloomma's face, it was not the answer she'd been expecting. 

"That's... more than I expected..."

Lana felt her cheeks colouring a little, suddenly self conscious. 

"It's silly, sorry... I just, I..."

"No... I'm sorry, I didn't mean that rudely?" 

"You weren't," Lana was eager to reassure her, to distract from her own momentary discomfort, "I just... I'm not used to describing it? Anyway, how are you feeling?"

Aloomma hesitated, swallowing. 

"...Honestly? Do we have time for honesty?"

Lana smiled, catching the younger woman's hands in her own. Aloomma ached with the warmth of it, lost in the Sith's smile, in her golden eyes, in the warmth of her hands against Aloomma's skin. 

"Yes."

The Jedi's answering smile was small, and brittle, and it didn't reach her eyes, but it was there and that was something. 

"...Not good. I can't remember the last time 'good' was. Perhaps some time after the Rift Alliance formed, and before everything fell apart. Maybe Voss? Voss was a beautiful planet."

"Voss was a beautiful planet..." Lana affirmed, soft and wistful, "Just like you..."

Aloomma started, staring at her now, and Lana cursed herself for having been foolish enough to say that out loud. Now was hardly the time for those kind of feelings. She could not expect someone spread so thin to be able to work out how she felt on the matter. It was unfair. She could feel her cheeks turning crimson. 

"...I'm very sorry..."

"...Don't be." Aloomma gently squeezed her hand. 

"Is that okay?" Lana asked softly, still worried that perhaps she had ruined everything. 

"That you think I'm beautiful?"

The blonde Sith nodded mutely, and Aloomma smiled. 

"Yes. I'm... surprised? But it's not a problem."

Lana smiled shyly, grateful for this kindness that the universe had seemingly decided to offer. It was a small thing, and yet at the same time, it meant so much. Still, Jedi were often poor boundary setters when it came to personal issues, and Aloomma minimised things that might bother her to save others discomfort all the time. 

"Are you sure?"

The Jedi nodded, but offered a small shrug with a rueful smile. 

"I wouldn't advise getting mixed up with me, though."

"I'd advise the same for me, to be honest?"

Aloomma smiled, her eyes crinkling a little. The expression wasn't quite at home on her face as they both tried to work out how to navigate these unfamiliar waters, but it was sincere. 

"I can see a lot of advantages to getting mixed up with you, Lana Beniko."

"I can see the same for you, Master Aloomma."

Aloomma swallowed, and slowly shook her head, fingers still lingering against Lana's hand where she had caught it against her cheek. 

"I don't think we see things the same way on this one."

It stung, even as she tried not to let it, to tell herself that the timing was all wrong, that she had wanted too much, expected too much, that it was cabin fever from being caught up here for so long with nowhere else to go... but Lana's face fell all the same and she stepped away, leaving Aloomma's hand lingering for a moment in empty air. 

"...I suppose not... I'll... take care of the perimeter scans."

Lana retreated to the safety of the computer banks, turning her back on the slender figure on the bed, hoping for the chance to retain what shreds were left of her dignity. And yet, Aloomma followed. 

"It's.. not that I don't want you... I do, very much..." Aloomma swallowed, finishing softly, "More than I'd possibly ever realised before."

Lana hated the appeal in that voice, the way this strong woman who had been so ill-used was still trying to soothe the feathers of others, the way Aloomma couldn't just let a hurt alone, let it heal in its own time without interference if she had caused it. The way she was appealing for Lana to see sense, to understand how bad an idea it would be for both of them, to pretend this was something neither of them wanted. 

She didn't turn around. 

"I understand."

"It can't do you any good to get mixed up with a Jedi like me..." There was almost defiance there, then a bark of laughter, the kind that it hurt to hear, the kind where it was obvious how painful it was for the speaker with sharp and brittle edges, "Ha... Jedi. I don't even know that I deserve that title anymore."

That made Lana turn, and she stood straight, folding her hands behind her back, tall, and proud, and not wanting to betray a hint of the vulnerability she felt. It almost felt like an insult, how dare Alooomma question her choices, her ability to determine what was best for herself, what risks were appropriate? She undertood where it came from, that desperate instinct when you were hurting too badly to process it yourself that you must protect your allies at all costs in case when it was all over you had nowhere safe to go, but all the same. 

"I think you do." She was firm at first, almost strident, but she softened almost instantly. "I think you do... and perhaps, perhaps not, but that's my choice to make?"

Aloomma was within arm's reach now, and she stopped, eyes on Lana's face, full of warring emotions. For the moment, uncertainty seemed to be winning. 

"...It is." That much she could agree to, a definite truth. 

Lana watched her, swallowing. 

"I want you too, but I'm afraid..."

"Afraid of what?"

"Of hurting you..." 

It was strange for Lana to admit that, usually causing pain to others was not something that concerned Sith overmuch. Their romantic entanglements were always passionate, often brief, and usually ended without blame apportioned on either side. It was a matter of convenience. This, however, was anything but. 

It was Aloomma who bridged the gap, reaching out across the void that seemed wider than that between stars to gently brush her knuckles over Lana's cheek. Lana leant into the touch without hesitation, and Aloomma shivered. 

"Your skin feels just the way I thought it would..." The Jedi breathed, eyes on Lana's, fear there that perhaps she had gone too far, perhaps she had said too much. "Is... is that creepy?"

That broke the tension, and Lana chuckled, eyes shining brightly as her hand came up to cover Aloomma's, holding it against her cheek. 

"No, I've heard far worse."

There was a spark back in the Jedi's eyes now as she countered. 

"I'm sure. What are Sith pick up lines like?"

"Ugh, terrible to be honest with you. Theron has a list apparently to laugh at."

That made Aloomma laugh, a real laugh, and she could feel the release of tension throughout her whole body. At this moment nothing seemed funnier than the idea of Theron Shan, SIS Agent and son of Satele Shan, paging through a notebook of Sith pick up lines and sniggering to himself. 

"Now that doesn't surprise me!" Aloomma gasped as she collected herself, and Lana's smile was wicked. "Where did he acquire such a collection? For what it's worth, I'm sure Jedi ones aren't much better..."

"They aren't," Lana confirmed crisply, trying not to sound too smug about it - really the whole thing was all too funny anyway - "And apparently he listens to a great deal of cantina talk and gets bored."

Aloomma laughed again, and Lana laughed along with her, eyes shining in the kind of mirth they only had the opportunity to share rarely. WHen it came to a natural end, Aloomma smiled, eyes on Lana's again as she offered shyly,

"You have a beautiful laugh..."

"Oh?" Lana smiled shyly despite herself. She was a grown woman, a Lord of the Sith, not some infatuated teenager, and yet... she couldn't help herself, and she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Yes."

Suddenly words were not enough to pass between them, and Lana turned her head slightly, just enough to press a light kiss to the palm of the Jedi's hand where it still rested against her cheek. 

It was as if another barrier had been broken, and Aloomma leaned in as if drawn by a magnet, utterly unsure as to where this was going, scared of going too far too fast, but knowing only that she needed to be closer somehow...

And their lips met, and the universe shifted around her, finally falling into place for the first time since Corellia, since Manaan, since... since before she could remember right now. Aloomma melted into Lana's arms, and Lana cradled her close. 

It was the Jedi who moved first, leaning up, kissing Lana again with nothing less than pure need and heat in it. Lana mirrored her, responding, not quite escalating, but matching the want, the heat, the intensity of it. 

It broke eventually, and Aloomma was panting, the tension draining out of her in one rush, swaying on the spot, limp in Lana's arms. The release of it was intense, and Lana's eyes were golden warmth right there. 

"Are you okay?"

There was concern in that voice, and the crispness of the Empire accent was comforting rather than terrifying this close up. 

"...better, somehow. I needed that. Not to say... did that sound like I was using you? Not... my intention..." She shook her head, as if trying to shake the tiredness away, and Lana kissed her softly to stop her digging that particular hole. Nothing needed to be said. Not about that.

Aloomma leaned into her, eyes half closed, unable or unwilling to support herself at this moment. Lana was warm, and soft, and strong, and it was so /nice/ not to have to hold herself up after so long. She glanced up into those sunlit eyes, feeling herself sink into them like the Autumn sun on Voss. 

"... You know much of Sith history, don't you?"

"I do indeed." Lana confirmed warmly, rather enjoying the feeling of having the slight Jedi in her arms.

"...how much do you know about Jedi who... fell?"

"Stories, mostly. Revan was the most powerful." Lana gently brushed a strand of hair back behind Aloomma's ear, gazing at her. She wasn't sure where this was going, but something told her this was important, this was what had been underlying so much of the uncertainty, the fear, the tension which she had been picking up on since the Jedi had landed. It had to be handled delicately. 

The Barsen'thor nodded and swallowed, glancing away, no longer able to hold that gaze, scared of the acceptance, the affection, and what she might see there. 

"And how does one... fall?"

Lana's eyes widened and she was glad that Aloomma had looked away. Judgement would not help in such a delicate situation. Of everything she had suspected, this had not even been on the list. Of all the force users Lana had ever met, all the Jedi she had come into contact with, however briefly, Aloomma had not been one whom she thought could be tempted. 

"Generally, I suspect it has to do with committing the sort of act that makes most Sith proud."

"Murder?"

"Heinous, evil murder, out of spite or taking pleasure in it."

The Jedi nodded slowly, considering, as if feeling out the concept. 

"So there's no... official allegiance switch?"

"There can be, but not... truly. And really, falling is truthfully usually a twisting of one's nature, or a revealing."

"...Thank you. I'm... scared of falling. Perhaps that seems foolish to confide to a Sith. But who else do I know who might even begin to understand what that could mean? How it could feel?"

Lana paused, knowing how important, how fragile this converation was. They were both of them on the brink of something, and emotions were running high. Answering honestly was paramount. Lying would only destroy everything they had between them. 

"I'll be very honest; I can think of a scant handful, and even then they would not be sympathetic. I... do not see you falling. I see you... growing, changing, but still holding to your code."

"I can feel..." The Jedi swallowed, glancing up again, "I feel bitterness. Anger. Things... I shouldn't feel. And the Force is weakening and it feels like punishment."

"Anger and bitterness are natural. Very natural. It's when it consumes you that it destroys you."

"It terrifies me... sensing what's inside of me, what could be there... am I... tainted? Don't misunderstand, please, I don't... we aren't on the same side but I do not believe you are evil. The thought of becoming like you doesn't scare me, except that it is against everything I have been taught to be... and then... the thought of becoming something worse, something like Revan, like Tulak Hord, like Naga Sadow, becoming something dark..."

The wretched fear in the younger woman's voice made Lana's heart ache. She tried to find a way to explain which would be honest, would be accurate to the best of her knowledge, and would not undermine. She had no wish to turn Aloomma to the dark side. Perhaps it was what a 'good Sith' would have done, but Lana respected the woman, respected her abilities and her achievements. She was a friend. It wouldn't be right to betray her. Besides, Lana knew from her own studies that the Force was more complex than most Jedi and Sith made it out to be. Instead, she answered softly, hoping that she might be able to bring some comfort. 

"That fear is what is controlling you. It seeps in and destroys your bond to the Force because of what you were taught as a youngling."

It seemed strange to realise that in some ways Jedi teaching was no better than Sith, both such rigid structures with their own rules and conventions and little flexibility to be found. You were good, or you were evil, and there was no duality, no shades in between. That had been the original appeal of the Revanites, Lana supposed. Revan was lauded and reviled by both sides, and held up as an example of what could be. There was no one else who even came close. 

Aloomma's eyes were on hers now, the Jedi's bright green and seeming larger still, bright with unshed tears. 

"And how do I conquer it?"

"Let it go. Meditate, and let it fade away."

Meditation was something that was common to both traditions, and Lana was confident she was on familiar ground with the idea. She was also oddly touched by the trust the Jedi was showing in her, the way Aloomma accepted her knowledge and her suggestions without question, and without any unkind (albeit mostly accurate) implications about Sith. 

"The fear? What if it..." The young woman swallowed, still striving for some semblance of control over herself again, "What if the anger overwhelms me? What if I become... something else?"

"I don't think it will..." 

It was the truth, there was no room for falsehood or doubt, Aloomma would be able to sense both, even as vulnerable as she was. This kind of exhaustion left one hypervigilant to threats, and she had always been perceptive. Lana felt proud that she could offer even this small comfort to her, hoping that in some way it might be enough. 

Aloomma nodded slowly, hesitantly, twisting her hands in her lap. 

"Perhaps I should rest first... I don't know. Perhaps I won't rest properly until I do something about it."

"May I help you sleep? I swear I will not harm you."

Lana knew her skillset was rare, that most Sith specialised in warfare or manipulation rather than healing, but she had had a natural gift which she had grown alongside her proficiency in the more martial arts. This seemed like an opportunity to do some good. She could feel her cheeks heating despite herself when the Jedi looked up and gave her a naked, sincere smile. 

"I don't think I could sleep without you near." She paused, and waved a hand in front of her as if physically waving away the awkwardness of that comment "...Please, forgive me. I believe the exhaustion is making me rather more... candid than usual. I know it's a chore. If you'd be willing to perhaps... sit nearby? I'd welcome any assistance you might be willing to offer..."

Lana smiled softly. 

"I can do you one better." She stepped forward and scooped the younger woman up in her arms, carrying her to the bed and tucking in around her. She was still a little surprised, and deeply pleased when rather than offering any kind of resistance, the Jedi tucked in close to her and passed out almost immediately. Lana kept watch, bending her power to her will and using it to heal what she could, chasing out the strain and exhaustion which lingered still, brushing soft kisses and soothing touches over the Jedi's face and hair, guarding this sorely needed slumber.


	3. A Ritual

Aloomma slept long into the next day, and although she stayed close, eventually Lana rose to do other things around the safe house. She didn't want to stray too far, but it was obvious at this point that the sleep was healing and deep. Instead, she began to cook, making the most of the food they had around. Cooking had always been a relaxation. She rather enjoyed learning new recipes from different planets she went to although they were often from cultures the Empire looked down on. Now, though, food was a comfort she could share with the others, and the process was almost meditative. 

It was evening before the Jedi woke again, stirring slowly. Her movement was stiff, which was unsurprising after so long without changing position. Lana crossed over to her the moment she heard movement, and greeted her with a soft smile. 

"How do you feel?"

The Barsen'thor frowned in consideration, thinking about her answer. Lana knew that feeling, the need to check in with every part of yourself for a status report before being certain what was going on.

"...Human, almost. For the first time in a long time. I mean I don't think I'm... I'm still tired. But it is just tired. It's not bone-deep exhaustion."

"That's an improvement. Tired is rather normal, all things considered. Here, have some food? Theron sent me some recipes."

The Jedi blinked, looking around at the impressive array. 

"Thank you, it all smells incredible. I didn't know you were such a cook."

"I always felt that it helps comfort and soothe the soul." Lana offered, almost shyly, trying to ignore the way her cheeks flushed again at the Jedi's warm smile. 

"I agree, completely."

The Sith served a bowl of stew, and put a couple of hunks of bread on a plate, carrying it over to where Aloomma was sitting. 

"Take it slow. Savour it, and just relax."

Aloomma nodded and took the bowl with a look of gratitude. 

"Thank you..."

Unable to resist any longer, Lana leaned in for a soft kiss, gentle and sweet. Despite herself she felt a little thrill when Aloomma responded, kissing her back warmly. When they broke apart, the Jedi was smiling with those beautiful forest eyes warm like a summer day. 

"I hope you haven't been too bored without me?"

That won a small chuckle, and Lana shook her head. 

"Not in the slightest, dearest. I've missed just... doing nice things for people I care for."

"...Have you had many before? People you care for."

Lana's smile took on a sad tinge, but she didn't attempt to avoid the question. 

"A small few."

Aloomma tilted her head slightly, still regarding the other woman. It was a delicate topic, to be sure, but the lines between them were shifting all the same. She didn't want to cross any, but she found she wanted to know all she could about the blonde Sith Lord with eyes like the sun. 

"I'm... beginning to think you aren't like most Sith. Perhaps I'm unfairly prejudiced in the matter."

"I... am not." Lana replied, after a brief moment's consideration, "My family was small, but very loving. They knew I was powerful, and we were in Imperial space, so it made sense. I... nearly didn't survive Korriban, especially under Harkun."

The Barsen'thor nodded, wanting to offer something in return. The name had some resonance even among the Jedi, and none of the things she had heard were good. 

"I've... heard stories. I... can't see you being satisfied with the kind of relationship I imagine most Sith to have?"

It was a delicate question, and even as she asked it Aloomma wondered if it was too bold, too presumptuous. But she needed to know. Sith relationships burned bright and hot and fast, they were built on passion and... well. The reputation of the Sith as lascivious was widespread throughout the galaxy, but it was equally possible that some of the tales of their... unusual tastes had been blown out of proportion to scandalise 'respectable' audiences more. 

"I'm not surprised," Lana answered softly, "I nearly succumbed, but... I chose to rise above. I chose to return to my roots, and remain, not only a Sith, but myself. I wanted more. I still want more. And I will get it by the grace of my own strength."

The Jedi kissed her again, smiling warmly as they shared the moment together. 

"You will."

Lana smiled warmly and brushed her fingers lightly over the other woman's cheek. 

"So will you."

"Perhaps."

"I trust in that." Lana affirmed, and Aloomma's smile was so bright as to be almost blinding. 

"Will you meditate with me?" She asked, tentatively. It was a practice which was common to both traditions, and yet the idea of a Jedi and Sith meditating together seemed strange. It was an intimate request, but Lana didn't hesitate before assenting to it. 

"I would."

Aloomma swallowed nervously, glancing up through her lashes. 

"Would you be prepared to guide me? In... in attempting to work through this?"

"Gladly. Honestly."

The sincerity in the Sith's voice rang true, and Aloomma squeezed Lana's hand gently in a silent thanks. 

"Let's eat first. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed food this much. May I have a second bowl of stew? It's such a perfect combination with the bread, I can feel it nourishing my soul."

"You may. I'm so glad... sometimes it's what you need, something that heals and gives."

The two of them ate together, cuddling up on the crude bed, occasionally exchanging kisses and warm smiles when the moment felt right. Conscious of how much she had been drawing from Lana over the last couple of days, Aloomma tried to offer her own strength, feeble as it seemed right now, willing it into the other woman. It wasn't much, but it was what she could offer, particularly now she was able to feel more like herself again. 

"I've got you, beautiful." Lana murmured reassuringly, pressing a kiss to the Jedi's temple. 

"You do. I have you too?"

"I know."

"Before anything else, you are my friend, and my ally, and I will defend you."

Lana cuddled the slight figure closer, strangely touched by that fierceness. She wasn't used to being defended. She was far more accustomed to having to defend herself. However, it seemed only natural to reply in kind, and more importantly, she meant it.

"And I you, for you are my friend and my ally."

Aloomma nuzzled her, then shifted to catch Lana's gaze, her own eyes dancing as one perfect eyebrow arched. 

"...You trusted Theron's judgement?"

"In your case, I always do. He cares about you himself, in his own way."

The smile softened from something playful to something more real, and the Consular nodded. 

"I know. Do you have somewhere you meditate here?"

"I know a safe place, but it's a bit of a trek."

"I can face it." Aloomma assured her, though her voice was much stronger than her body felt. She didn't want to put off dealing with this mess any longer, scared of the potential consequences. 

Rather than questioning her, Lana only smiled. 

"Okay. Come with me when you're ready?"

"I'm ready, I think. It would be better to get this over with."

"Okay." And again without question, Lana only offered her hand. With a brief squeeze, Aloomma rose and followed the Sith out through Raider's Cove to a beautiful grove protected by rock and ancient trees, wrapped around a little brook. The Jedi gazed around in wonder. 

"This is beautiful..."

"It is." Lana agreed, "Theron found it, actually, and it's been so peaceful."

"He knows what we look for."

"He does indeed." Lana spread two soft rugs out on the ground, glancing up with a shy smile, "So we're comfortable?"

"Thank you."

Aloomma settled on the rug next to Lana in her meditation pose, hands palm down on her thighs, and took a deep breath... and another one, the breath shaking slightly. 

"You're doing so well... that's it..." Lana offered softly, taking a deep breath of her own and closing her eyes. 

The Jedi reached out to cover one of Lana's hands with her own, and closed her eyes, sinking into the Force with a deep breath as Lana gently squeezed her hand. 

As she sank deeper, she felt her eyes seem to open, although on the outside they remained closed, and she gazed around in wonder. All around was blackness, a warm dark against which the flow of the Force was bright blue. The wellspring of it was as powerful as ever, but it was being choked off by walls of bright red and shades of purple around it. Where the tendrils of the Force had once sprouted off like vines into the dark, intertwining with her soul, they were trapped behind these walls which were choking off her power.

"What is this place?" She asked silently, hearing her own voice echo inside her head. She couldn't help but be curious, mesmerised, fascinated. Even meditating on Tython she had never been able to see her own relationship with the Force like this, to understand how it was part of her, how it flowed through her. 

Lana's voice echoed in answer, warm and familiar and so reassuring. 

"This is a conduit; a proper one, perfectly neutral. I suspect the Rishii themselves are the cause."

"Fascinating..."

"Now... let go of the fear, feel the Force flow through you... rest in safe knowledge that you are here, that you are going to be okay."

"The walls are so high..." Her voice shook, uncertain, scared whether it was even within her power to salvage this. 

"I know. I know, but don't seek to climb them, seek to tear them down."

The Jedi took a deep breath and raised her arms, closing her eyes and beginning to tear the walls down.

"That's it... that's it..." Lana encouraged her quietly, lending her own power to it, pulling them down and watching them vanish. "You're so incredible..."

The Jedi was shaking, and she fell forward, coming back to herself with a soft cry. She leaned forward on all fours and threw up, barely aware as Lana shifted behind her to hold her hair back, rubbing soothing circles over her shoulders. 

"Ugh... okay... I... I'll need to lean on you to get back."

"I am perfectly fine with that. I am so proud of you. Take it slow. A little water?"

The Consular nodded, swiping at her mouth with the back of one hand and grimacing, taking the water bottle Lana offered with a grateful smile and rinsing her mouth out before she took a swallow. 

"Thank you."

"No matter."

The journey back to the safehouse was long but untroubled, and once more Aloomma fell into a deep slumber the moment her head hit the pillow.


	4. A Shower and a Gift

Aloomma rose the next morning, and there was a new certainty to her movements, an edge which hadn't been there before even at the peak of her prowess. Lana watched her, filing this new development away in her mind. It wasn't entirely unexpected, particularly given what they had both seen during the ritual the evening before, but it was fascinating nonetheless. There was no sign of a fall, the Jedi she had known was still there, but the hardness in her eyes, the hint of flecks of gold in the green like sunshine dappling the forest floor... that was new. The air of defeat was gone, though, and Lana was certain that whatever price had been paid was worth it to have Aloomma back to full strength, particularly given the mammoth task ahead of them. 

"Good morning, love, and how are you?"

The Barsen'thor's eyes flicked towards her, but she smiled and relaxed, the lines of her body shifting as she unconsciously angled herself entirely towards Lana. 

"...Alive, and you?"

"I'm quite alright," Lana reassured her with a sunny smile, crossing the space between them simply to be able to touch her, grazing her knuckles lightly along the Jedi's cheekbones, "Are you hungry? Would you like a shower?"

"Both..." Aloomma declared with a sigh, rolling her shoulders... and then she slid a sidelong glance in Lana's direction, lips curving up alluringly, "...Would you care to share the shower?"

There was not a moment's hesitation in her agreement, and Lana leant in for a soft, chaste kiss. 

"Yes, I would."

She gathered fresh robes for them both, locating the towels and soap.

"Shall we?"

"We shall..." Aloomma replied warmly, eyes resting appreciatively on Lana in a way which made the Sith blush a little despite herself. Her voice was tinged with regret as she brushed a lock of golden hair safely back behind Lana's ear. "The others will be getting back today..."

"Yes, but later. We have time."

Lana was quick to reassure her, wanting to remind herself just as much. They would need to savour this, it was true, but there was no need to rush. 

The Jedi nodded, considering, and tilted her head. 

"I'm not... ashamed of this. But I understand if you don't want to tell them."

"I'm not ashamed either. And they won't care. Come on, the shower is this way. I think you'll approve."

Aloomma followed her out of the back of the safehouse, a little way along a shaded path to another wooden building constructed against a rock face. 

Lana set the things she had brought down on a wooden bench at the side. There were a few towels for them both, the soap, and some fresh robes and undergarments. 

She turned, and was surprised to find that Aloomma had come right up behind her. 

"Oh..."

"Sorry, did I startle you?"

Her eyes were even more intense up close, and Lana was finding it harder to breathe as those steady hands reached for the fastenings of the casual garb she wore. It wasn't so necessary to wear full armour here, though she hadn't forsaken it entirely, but the thought of the Jedi being the one to remove it from her... Aloomma was never anything less than focused in anything she did. It was one of the things which had drawn Lana's attention, even in the early days when they hadn't entirely been on the same side. The Barsen'thor's capacity for focus was exceptional, but seeing it in battle or when discussing tactics didn't compare to how arresting it could be to have it entirely on you. 

It was surprisingly intimate to have another remove her clothes. Even in couplings with other Sith she had usually discarded them herself, passion and heat were drivers of impatience, and finesse was one of the first things to go by the by. They had been intense in their own way, but it was nothing compared to how this felt. The slow, tentative reverence in the Jedi's touch was enough to make her shiver. The kisses that passed between them were heated, but the heat was banked. There was no rush. They had time to savour this, and Aloomma was recovering from injuries both physical and spiritual, and this was all new to her. Romantic entanglements were not common among the Jedi, and there was nothing Lana had heard which led her to believe she had experience with another woman. There had been rumours about Iresso of course, even in the Empire, but nothing more than that. That being said, this was all rather new to Lana too. Sex for Sith was nothing more than that, and although passion was the foundation of the Code there had never been any mention of love. This, what was passing between them, was something more.

The feeling of Aloomma's hands on her skin made Lana's breath catch in her throat, but she made no move to resist, even moving to assist as the Jedi's attention moved to the lower half of her robes. 

As the cloth fell away, her own hands went to the tie of the shirt Aloomma had worn the day before, simple and plain, almost like Apprentice garb. She stared as the pale skin was revealed, wincing in sympathy at the ugly marks that remained from recent wounds which were only just beginning to close given time and Force healing. 

Finally undressed, Aloomma smiled, giving Lana a parting kiss as she stepped away and beneath the spray of the shower, groaning as the hot water pounded down on aching muscles and began washing away the tension which still lingered from the fear and pain.

"Mmmmn... Should have known you would have found a place with a decent shower... mmmn... fresh water... fresh hot water with good pressure... /real/ water..." She tilted her head back under the spray and took a deep breath, glancing back at the Sith with a teasing smile. "...Guess Rishi's not all bad."

Lana laughed and handed her the soap, stepping in to join her under the spray, purring in delight as the Jedi's hands came to rest on her lower back. 

"Theron made sure the plumbing was up to par..."

Another kiss under the steam and a breathed "remind me to thank him later" and everything else ceased to matter as those clever hands began to drift lightly over her skin... then with more pressure, creamy skin slick with soap and water and soft as silk. 

Lana began to soap up Aloomma's hair, marvelling at how long it seemed here, freed from the style which usually kept it bound up out of the way. It gave her something to focus on, some way to reciprocate as calloused hands worn from hours of saber training and combat ran up the planes of her back, deft fingertips learning the flex of her muscles and tracing the scars which marred the perfection of her skin. 

Aloomma was fascinated. This didn't compare to sharing a fresher with Felix, not even close. He had been handsome, and those occasions had most definitely been mutually enjoyable, but Lana was something else, something so different it seemed almost sacriligious to compare them. She was warmth and curves and heat and softness. The curve of her breasts, now revealed from the armour was highlighted by the sun streaming in through cracks in the ceiling, and the thought of exploring them was tantalising... but that was not what this moment was about. This moment was cleansing, learning, finding every ache and catch which this skilled warrior hid and would never mention, the strains she carried from battle, from worry, from fear... tracing every scar which wove their way over Lana's ribs, legs, arms... and drinking in every soft noise she could coax from the Sith's lips as she leant in to catch them in another kiss. 

"You care for me so well... who cares for you?"

Lana tilted her head, golden eyes half-lidded as she returned the kiss, hands now sliding lightly down Aloomma's sides, tracing her scars in turn, faint as they were. To Jedi, scars were something to heal and render invisible as if they had never existed. To Sith, they were badges of strength, and Lana wore hers proudly, even the ones which were nothing more than painful memories. The wounds on the Jedi's flank and thigh were still ugly, but so much better than they had been before. It was a relief to see them healing, and although she winched a little, Aloomma did not pull away.

"Hopefully you, when you feel for it?" She breathed in return, tentatively articulating which had so far passed unspoken between them. Aloomma wanted her, of that much she was sure, and upon arrival had /needed/ her. Was this something transient, as pleasurable and intimate as it had been, or was this something that could be more, that could be what she barely dared to wish for. 

Aloomma caught her lips again, hands resting on Lana's waist, reverent and possessive all at once. 

"I will."

The certainty in her voice made Lana shiver. Never before had she met someone who seemed so steady, and if ever there were someone she could trust with the whole of her heart, it was this woman, this Jedi whom she never would have met but for some strange twist of fate. Half-dizzy with the headiness of it all, she found herself wondering whether she should thank Revan for this chance before plunging her saber through his chest. Those damn hands were still tracing every sensitive inch of her skin, and Lana could see stars, seemingly hearing the words with her entire body as the Barsen'thor spoke again. 

"I want to memorise every inch of you..." there was an ache there, a want which went so much further than sex, as those hot lips suddenly felt like fire on her skin tracing over an old, old scar on her ribcage. Despite every nerve in her body singing, despite the heat between them that made Lana want to do nothing more than draw her down to the floor and consumate this passion, she drew the other woman up and slid her arms possessively around the Jedi's waist. 

"I want to do the same for you..."

Aloomma shivered as the ghost of the words brushed across her skin, pressing closer into Lana's warm softness. The Jedi's head tilted slightly to the side, exposing the perfect, pale skin of her throat for Lana to claim. 

"Oh... Mmmn... I hope we have time..."

"We'll make time." Lana assured her, more determined to make those words truth than she had ever been before. She squeezed the Jedi's hand as Aloomma turned off the water and slowly started moving away, holding Lana's hand, lingering in the contact as long as she possibly could. 

Lana picked up one of the towels, surprised and pleased to find it was warm where it had been in a puddle of sunlight. Rather than wrapping it around herself, she instead wrapped it around Aloomma, though it seemed a shame to hide all of that glorious skin and muscle away again. 

The Jedi thanked her with a kiss and a brilliant smile, wrapping the towel tighter before she reciprocated. 

"Thank you, Lana... would you care to spar with me today?"

"I would..." Lana towelled herself off briskly, and reached for her robes, stretching before she dressed again. Showers were always a pleasant experience, but this one had left her more refreshed than any other she could remember. Her cheeks warmed a little again as she noticed the Barsen'thor giving her another appreciative glance before her robes were fully fastened. "Perhaps we should eat first, though?"

"Perhaps some of that delicious banana bread I noticed back in the safehouse?"

"That is an excellent idea..."

Both dressed now, Lana hesitated for the briefest moment before she paused opposite the other woman on the way out of the door. She met Aloomma's eyes, heart skipping a beat at that sun-dappled forest green. 

"How are you feeling?"

"Better." There was no hesitation this time in the Jedi's response, and she reached to catch Lana's hand and interlace their fingers, "Better. More human. It feels... like being back in my body again after so long without realising I'd lost that connection. You've been... invaluable, /essential/ to getting that back. Your patience, your healing, your cooking... your..." and here she hesitated, "affection." She wanted to say love, oh how she wanted to say love, but was it too soon? Did Lana feel the same? Was this love? It was nothing like she'd ever felt before but the way even being near her made Aloomma's heart pound, her breath catch... oh, she wanted this enough to fight for it. 

"It's my pleasure." Lana's gaze was steady, and she smiled slightly, giving a light squeezed where their hands were clasped. "A real and sincere pleasure."

The moment spun on seemingly forever, until something snapped and they began in concert to walk back together to the safehouse. 

"I could probably do with eating better." Aloomma offered as they crossed into the dim coolness and Lana served up two pieces of banana bread, considering for a moment before she also began making sandwiches. "It's been... hard." the Jedi added as Lana's golden eyes flicked up with an unvoiced question. 

In response she received only a smile, and a plate of goodness. 

"I don't doubt," a quick kiss to soft lips as Lana passed on the way to pour them both a drink, "Rest, eat, rebuild yourself."

Aloomma chuckled, catching her back for another kiss of her own, greedy for the closeness before she let the Sith pass. 

"I don't see how I could fail to with fare like this."

The two of them settled to eat in easy silence, and it was Aloomma who broke it. 

"I'm... scared of what I might become, still, but... it can't be a bad thing to feel... anything. Before I could feel nothing, as if my entire body had gone numb, my heart, my soul, my sensitivity to the Force... everything was closed off. Now it is returning, albeit slowly, but I can feel it coming back and I don't fear that it will disappear again."

"It isn't," Lana affirmed softly, her gaze steady and warm, "I promise it isn't a bad thing."

In return, she got a quirked smile. 

"You are the first Sith I have known who I don't believe is trying to tempt me. I mean," The Jedi scrambled, a pink flush high on those delicate cheekbones, "You do tempt me... but I don't believe you wish me ill."

Oh, hearing it said aloud - even indirectly - was sweet, and Lana felt heat curling in her stomach. Instead, she leaned in for a soft kiss. 

"I care about you."

"I trust it."

After the two of them had eaten their fill, Aloomma stretched and grinned, green eyes sparkling with a long-dimmed wicked humour. 

"Shall we spar? I warn you I do not plan to go easy on you... though I would hate to be responsible for any more scars."

"My scars are healed, yours aren't," Lana replied with a chuckle, her own competitive spirit lighting up a little, "Take it easy on yourself at least?" She crossed to the wall and retrieved two sparring vibroblades from a rack there, offering one to the Jedi who took it with a slighly chastened smile. 

"You're right. That probably is safer." She stretched and headed out to the clearing behind the safehouse, settling into her stance with the same fierce smile on her face. "I respect your skill. And I am looking forward to this."

Lana chuckled and moved to oppose her. 

After exchanging bows, the two of them launched into a contest which lasted several hours beneath the trees, moving from sun to shadow and back again, pressing attacks, feinting, and drawing back in defence. It was a fierce contest, and the sun was low on the horizon by the time the Barsen'thor lowered her blade, sweat-soaked and panting. 

"I yield." 

She threw the blade aside, and Lana paused for the briefest moment before she copied her. 

"Me too."

Aloomma closed the gap between them, drawing Lana into a close embrace and kissing her deeply.

"Took you two long enough."

She jumped at the new voice, poised for a threat despite the post-sparring exhaustion, turning to see Theron waiting on the other side of the clearing, Jakarro at his back, one eyebrow raised. 

"Oh, so you knew, did you?"

"Oh please. You two were pining for each other."

The Jedi went to move away, unsure whether she liked this idea that someone else could have known this about her, could have predicted it. It had come as a bolt from the blue to her, circumstances which had whirled like a maelstrom suddenly all falling into place. It had been exhaustion and compassion and understanding and need and want, and Theron's supercilious attitude felt... annoying. She was momentarily surprised that she could feel annoyance. That was the sort of emotion Jedi were usually trained out of, the kind of thing she had been suppressing for so long. She embraced it now, with a new voraciousness. This was new, and she liked it. 

"Be careful. There are things about me you won't like now."

She wasn't the perfect Jedi anymore and the freedom of that knowledge was exhilirating. She had no plans to attack him, not by any means, but she advanced nonetheless. 

"The fact that you're drained and overused by the Republic? Oh, yes, that's a deep dark secret. Honestly, why do you think we're doing all this in secret? We come clean, we're all traitors."

Stung by how easily he seemed to dismiss everything that had been tearing her apart from the inside out, she fought back with words. 

"Just because I haven't been on the run, it doesn't mean I don't understand what we're doing."

"Oh, I know. But the whole... not going to like who you are now? Nah. Lana loves you. That's all that matters."

Some of the tension drained from Aloomma's shoulders, the wind taken from her sails by that. It was... infuriating how simply he'd defused the whole situation, and yet there was nothing else she could say to it. 

Lana gently rubbed her shoulders, coaxing her to relax, easing her lover down from the heights of emotion. It wasn't entirely a surprise that Aloomma had reacted like that. The ritual had unlocked a huge amount of potential, and a spectrum of emotions which had previously been off-limits to the Order's perfect Jedi. She didn't have the resilience or the skills to manage them yet; it wasn't as if she'd had the chance to practise.

Aloomma leaned back against Lana's solid warmth, lowering her guard a little but still wary as she regarded Theron. 

"So, what did you find out among the Nova Blades?"

"The Nova Blades are not our biggest fans right now, which is great because we have a chance to strike. Jakarro and I have identified a few potential targets. We can talk about it over dinner."

Theron rummaged in his pack and chucked a book at the Jedi who caught it with a distasteful expression. 

"What's this?"

"My list of pick-up lines, that way you two know what not to say."

"Thank you," Aloomma replied dryly, though a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips, "And how many are from your mother?"

"OW! Damn, that's not fair!"

Lana was laughing so hard she could barely breathe as Theron and the Consular both tried and failed to suppress their own chuckles and the rest of the tension dissipated. 

"Hey so, uh," Theron reached up to rub the back of his head, a little uncertain but needing to say something, "We did pick up something that Satele and Yuon sent from Tython. She said you might want a little bit of home."

Aloomma hesitated, staring at him for a long moment, turning her head to glance at Lana, suddenly uncertain. The Sith offered her a reassuring smile and a quick handsqeeze, and Aloomma stepped forward to take the package, hugging it to her chest. 

"...Thank you. How- how is Satele?" She asked, voice shaking a little with it. 

"Tired... angry. She hates that you were treated so poorly, that you were hurt so badly."

"There's nothing wrong with home?" Lana offered softly, resting a gentle hand on the Jedi's shoulder, attempting to offer comfort and coax another smile from her. 

Aloomma glanced up to meet her eyes again but looked quickly away. 

"I'm scared it might not be my home anymore."

Theron frowned and moved to kneel in front of her, putting himself directly in her eyeline and covering her hands with his. 

"It's always going to be your home. I mean that."

Aloomma swallowed and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, cuddling the package even closer to her chest, completely wrongfooted by the sudden, unexpected reminder of home, of the compassion she had forgotten existed in the Republic, of the fact that people cared about her. She had been lost for far too long wandering in the dark mists of her own head, seething in resentment and pain and grief and confusion. It had been easier to accept Lana's help, but this... it was everything she had needed so desperately and thought impossible. What did this mean for the person she was now? Was she turning her back on the Jedi? Or on Lana? She didn't know if it was possible to find a middle ground between the fresh-faced idealistic Padawan she had been when she had first set foot on this path, and the woman she was now, battle-scarred and with a bitterness she desperately wanted to relinquish, one she feared. 

Lana and Theron both embraced her tightly, catching her between the old life and the new. After a few moments focusing on steadying her breath, taking control of herself, Aloomma opened the package. Inside she found several teas, some of her favourite holorecordings, an incense burner from Kolovish, and a whole package of foods Satele and Yuon had prepared. Beneath all of that were three letters from Nadia, and one from Kira, a Jedi Knight Aloomma had first gotten to know when they had both been Padawans on Tython. 

At the sight of it all, she burst into tears. She had gone so long thinking that nobody cared, that she had been abandoned by the Republic she had sacrificed so much for, and here was proof that there were those who knew her, who cared about her, who thought about her enough to assemble gifts which were things she had sorely needed but would never have thought to ask for. It felt like her ties to the Jedi order which had been weakened and tangled and frustrated were refreshed anew. 

Swiping at her eyes, her nose, Aloomma smiled through the tears at Theron and tried to offer what she could of an explanation. 

"I'm... more healed now. The headaches... they're gone. Lana healed it. Something only the dark arts can do, apparently."

"Rather, something the dark arts do better and some Jedi are afraid to try." Theron replied softly, his eyes warm. He hadn't realised quite how bad things had become. They had been necessarily incommunicado, though news of big battles had filtered through and he and Lana had always been fairly confident Aloomma would have been on the front lines of them. He had expected injuries, exhaustion, anger even. He hadn't expected a chronic problem which put her at such risk to have gone all but ignored. "I'm so grateful she was able to heal it, that you're doing better now, but healing takes time and... although we don't have much of that we'll do what we can to help you."

"There was... a tumour in my brain. Perhaps it won't make me a better Jedi if I'm not constantly making peace with the pain, but it will mean that my vision isn't constantly greying out, so it does enhance my chances on the battlefield." This time Aloomma's smile was brittle, and it didn't quite reach her gold-flecked eyes. 

Theron's face darkened. "There's only so much you can make peace with." He replied grimly, squeezing her hand gently. 

"Thank you..." The Jedi's expression softened into something more fragile, more vulnerable, but more real, "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"Please don't be, you were well within your rights. And I agree; you deserve to be painless and happy."

Aloomma swallowed and smiled tentatively. 

"I've let some barriers down, so perhaps we shall see."

She moved away back towards the safehouse, a move to physically break the emotional unease hanging in the air. Things had been said that were necessary but the strain of the intensity was telling on all of them. 

"Would anyone like some tea?"

Lana smiled softly, following close behind, keeping step with the Jedi to ensure that she knew she was still not alone. 

"I would love to try some. I've heard so much about Jedi teas."

"May I make it?" Theron asked, offering a slight shrug, "It's been a while, but I like it."

Aloomma glanced up and offered him a small smile, handing over a packet of tea before she crossed over to the table and began setting out the rest of the contents of her package. She lit a stick of incense in the burner, and set out some of the delicacies. 

"I didn't know Grandmaster Satele thought so highly of me..." 

She spoke softly, almost to herself, but Theron replied nonetheless. 

"You're important, regardless of your title. She knows some of what you've been through recently, and... if I learned anything from my upbringing, it is that the Jedi code doesn't mean losing everything, nor giving everything up."

"I think... I think I might settle in more of a middle ground, at least for a while. I can't... handle the pressure that came with my title and my reputation. I can't handle perfection. That's what was demanded of me for so long, perhaps not by Satele, but by others."

Theron set four cups of tea out on the table and looked her straight in the eye with a shrug. 

"I don't have a problem with that at all. I don't think I know anyone who would."

"Thank you."

Jakarro picked up his cup and led the four of them in a toast as he rumbled with surprising gentleness.

/Rest, Jedi, and all will come to fruition. We will crush our enemies together!/

Aloomma and the others chuckled, joining him in the toast. 

She took a sip of the tea and closed her eyes as the peace of it flowed slowly through her entire being. This was a moment of serenity they would all need to savour ahead of the coming storm.


	5. Red Hulls and Nova Blades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the whole team together, it's time to make a start on the pirate feud.

The morning came far too soon, although there was less to savour now that they were no longer alone on Rishi. All four of them (five, if one counted the droid) were up as the sky turned grey at the fringes. It was too early for Tythonian tea, and instead Theron had made coffee. It was proper SIS coffee, black, thick, and strong enough to double as an adrenal. Aloomma hadn't been sure whether or not coffee worked on Wookiees but Jakarro seemed to be drinking it with no problem at all, and the three humans in the party absolutely needed it. 

"This is good stuff... where are the beans from?"

"Dantooine. They're the strongest I could find. I don't have many luxuries in life, but there are times when the ability to stay awake is worth spending a few extra credits on. It's my last bag, but I've got a deal with a smuggler who can source me some more if we ever get back to somewhere close enough to civilisation for me to risk it."

"I would have thought it would be just as easy to make a deal with a smuggler here as anywhere else. It's not quite Nar Shaddaa I know, but for under the table dealings I would have thought Rishi would be quieter."

"It is, but the thing is most smugglers are living on the edge where credits are concerned. Some have a few regular clients, some make enough of it or are ruthless enough about it that they don't have to take every job all the time. That's not the case for most of them and given the bounties currently out on every single member of our party apart from you I didn't want to risk drawing attention to us. Smuggling's one thing but most aren't above turning bounty hunter if the opportunity presents itself. There's quite possibly no better opportunity in the galaxy right now than the contents of this safehouse."

Theron took a deep draught of coffee, spluttering slightly as he shook his head a little, clearing out the static in his implants. 

"Also this particular smuggler is one I met through work. We've got a few on the SIS payroll, same way Imperial Intelligence tends to work with bounty hunters. There are some on both sides of course, but I don't particularly want to cross the work streams with this particular venture because as I said there is a very high probability that we would all end up dead."

"It is a good reason," Aloomma replied with a slightly impish smile, "I may be in less danger than the rest of you but that's only until people discover I'm mixed up in this particular endeavour. As it is I'm just as interested in staying alive as the rest of you."

Jakarro rumbled an agreement. 

They drank the rest of the coffee in silence, breaking their fast with some of the bread Lana had baked. It was still almost as good the day after, but it didn't really compare to the way it was warm and crusty, fresh out of the oven. There were a couple of things to put with it, and Aloomma was savouring (and mostly refusing to share) a spiced dark berry jam which had been in the package from Satele.

"So... do we have a plan?"

Theron and Lana exchanged glances, and Theron dusted the crumbs off his hands to cross to the console, bringing up a map of the planet and marking several locations. 

"Jakarro and I have been scouting Nova Blade assets. We know they're working with the Revanites, but we don't know why. Our best chance of finding out what's going on will be hitting the Nova Blades main base, but we can't just go straight for it or we risk Revan figuring out what we're doing. He's already aware of us, and I would not be a bit surprised if he was seeking us. I have a blood connection, you and Lana are both powerful Force users who opposed him. That kind of thing makes an impression and I don't think he's in the mood for obstacles. That's where your cover comes in."

He shot a sideways look at the Jedi, quirking his lips in an apologetic half-smile. 

"Sorry about that, by the way. Lana had a word with me about warning you. There didn't seem to be a way to let you know what was going on, so I guess we should thank you for going along with it as much as you did."

Aloomma inclined her head. She understood, she still was smarting a little at it. It hadn't exactly come at a good time, when she was already raw and aching, questioning everything about herself. Having the idea that she was somehow the epitome of everything the Jedi stood against thrown in her face by people she hadn't even met... it had been hard, but she trusted that both Theron and Lana had their reasons. 

"The idea is that we have set you up as the leader of the Red Hulls, a fearsome pirate gang who could dethrone the Nova Blades. That's a pretty big deal around here since the Nova Blades are the ones who founded Rishi as we know it now and made it this... illicit paradise. They crashed here, met the Rishii, settled in... rebuilt it until they were comfortable and started inviting other outlaws along. They are not nice people, let's be clear about that. We've already got some background around that you might not be too happy with the Nova Blades, but we have to make that real. The plan today is for you and Jakarro to go hit some of these Nova Blade targets we identified. Hit weapons stockpiles, supply caches, take out a few of their men, that kind of thing. We have to hit enough off-target targets to make a gang war seem feasible. You up for that?"

"I think I can manage that. What's the plan in terms of who hits where?"

"You go mark the targets, and Jakarro and Deefour hit them from their ship. Aerial bombardment should wipe everything out nicely, make a big boom, and give the impression that you've got a fleet handy."

Aloomma grinned at the Wookiee, already feeling a little more alive, a little more excited at the prospect of another mission. It wasn't that she enjoyed killing, but the Nova Blades traded in slaves, made deals with Revan, and were deeply involved in a plot to destroy the galaxy, and the people in it she loved. She couldn't stand by and let that happen. People in piracy died all the time. It was a dangerous occupation. At least she always did her best to kill them quickly. 

"Do you think your ship is big enough to pass for a fleet?"

"Mark my words, Jedi! The mighty Jakarro is the equal of a hundred pirate vessels!"

Aloomma laughed and patted him lightly on the chest. 

"I don't doubt you, my friend." Her attention switched back to Theron, though she longed to look at Lana instead, wondering how the rising sun was painting colours in her hair and across her skin, "What time did you plan to launch this endeavour?"

"Pirates mostly don't do much before noon. As tempting as it is to hit them while they're asleep, if we do it too early it might draw the wrong kind of attention. You want to be on your way around ten, I marked the coordinates on your datapad. Hit the first supply caches around eleven or so, spread as much havoc as you can and then we'll meet back here."

Aloomma stood and stretched, flexing to loosen up her muscles. She was glad of the duelling practice the day before. She had been a while out of a proper fight before that, and Lana was enough of a challenge that run of the mill pirates should pose no threat whatsoever. She slid a sidelong glance at the Sith, pausing a moment to admire her. The sunlight looked even more beautiful on her than Aloomma had been, perhaps, mildly daydreaming about. Her hair shone bright like white gold or the rarest of lightsaber crystals, and her eyes were warm. 

"What about you two?"

"We'll be staying here, spreading the word of your grudge and trying to identify some more targets you can hit, if we find anything while you're out in the field, we'll let you know."

Aloomma nodded, crossing the room to the chest where she'd left her things and lifting her saber out. The weight of it felt familiar on her belt again, and more right than it had for a long while. While she was there she took the opportunity to steal a kiss, one arm snaking around to press the flat of her palm possessive and warm against Lana's belly. The Sith shivered a little despite herself, arching back into the Consular's body. She could feel the heat of the Jedi's touch through the thin fabric of her sleeping robe. 

Lana caught Aloomma's hand, and turned enough to look her deep in those forest green eyes. 

"Come back safely, won't you."

It wasn't a request, but it wasn't quite an order either. Lana didn't want to leave any room for doubt, any room for hesitation. Aloomma had to come back, she had to survive this, because Lana was becoming more and more certain that without this Consular, the galaxy itself wouldn't survive. That was over and above the selfish reasons that now they had finally admitted to what lay between them, she couldn't face losing her again so soon. 

Aloomma smiled, a hint of her old confidence coming back, and she pressed a hurried kiss to the corner of Lana's lips. 

"I will, love. You can count on it."

"If we are not going yet, there is time for perhaps a few more hours sleep?" Jakarro suggested in guttural Wookiee. 

Theron seemed inclined to agree with him, but Aloomma headed for the door. 

"I'm going to meditate. Fetch me when it's time to go."

"May the Force serve you well."

"May the Force be with you, oh there's my pillow..."

Aloomma laughed as she headed along the path, retracing the steps she had taken with Lana. It seemed at once so recent and yet so far away. She was fairly sure she wasn't even out of sight of the house before Theron was snoring again. She had spent most of her time since she had arrived here on Rishi asleep, and it was time she started taking steps towards waking up.

It was Lana who was sent to fetch Aloomma from the grove. Theron knew all too well what happened to people who interrupted a Jedi at meditation, but he lacked the Force connection to be able to reach her without startling her. 

Aloomma was at her centre again, sitting tailor-style in the middle of the wellspring of her power. It was hard to believe she had never visualised it like this before, and even now she wasn't sure whether this was something she would always be able to do now, something she had learned from Lana, or whether it was something tied to this specific place. It wasn't as if she had many opportunities to meditate right on top of Force conduits like this. She was fairly sure this was the first truly neutral encounter she had had with the Force, and it was food for thought. 

She could understand the rigidity of Jedi teachings, and why it was necessary. The temptation of the dark side was great, but it rarely came in a form so obvious that it was easily called out. Temptation always had a fair appearance and a sweetness to it on the surface. Training inexperienced and often young Force users to reject anything that failed to resemble the light was one defence against the dark side, but Aloomma didn't think it was the only one. Experience was starting to tell her that choice was the only guarantee, and it was a choice that had to be made freely. 

The neutrality of the Force here was allowing her to reevaluate her relationship with it. For one thing it was incredible to be able to bathe in the Force like this, to submerge herself in it utterly and feel at one with it. That was a stark contrast to the long time she had spent feeling so utterly disconnected from it. It was akin to travelling in a desert and coming across an oasis of cool, bottomless, refreshing water. Also here the Force, unlike her old masters, demanded nothing of her. There was no choice to hold an allegiance to it or not; the Force was the Force, and as sensitive as she was there was no path ahead of her that existed without it. 

That was appealing, but dangerous for the naive and inexperienced. She might still be young, but she was neither of those things anymore. She could see the dark side bleeding into her power, see where it flowed purple now rather than blue, and yet it was still beautiful. It was not red and dark and twisted, it did not burn to look at. It was a question that she hadn't really considered yet, where that dark power had come from. Did it come from those emotions she had suppressed; the anger, the bitterness, the betrayal and the hurt? Did it come from the things she had denied because they were emotions and Jedi felt no emotion, or did it come from denying them for so long and trying to be something and someone she never had been and never could be. 

It was a part of her now. Perhaps it would heal over time, and her power would go back to the cool blue it always had been before, but perhaps it wouldn't. Aloomma found she was at peace with it either way, and that despite searching her soul thoroughly, she had no wish nor desire to fall to the dark. Passion had its place, as did strength - she could understand the appeal of the Sith code - but the Sith she had known... mentally, Aloomma corrected that thought, most of the Sith she had known, with one exception... they were creatures of such darkness, such evil and twisted malice... she did not have it in her, even with what her masters would have termed seeds of darkness in her, to become that. There was a great comfort in that, in learning all over again who she was, and discovering that she did not have malice lurking in her heart. 

It was in the midst of this reverie that a familiar voice echoed through her mind, rather than her sense. 

"Aloomma?"

"Lana... is it time?"

"It is. Are you ready?"

"I believe so."

She took a moment to return to herself, finding the centre of her being and her breath before she opened her eyes to meet those golden ones so close to her, and so warm. Impulsively, Aloomma leaned up for a soft kiss. Lana surrendered it gladly, and offered her a hand to get to her feet. 

Aloomma took it; here was no place to be proud, and although she was strong enough for this mission, she appreciated the help, and it was an excuse to touch her lover again. That was another thought to turn over in her mind; Lana Beniko as her lover. It was not a displeasing thought at all, far from it, but the Jedi did find herself wondering what the Sith would make of it. Lana seemed happy and comfortable in this... whatever this was... but Aloomma knew well that Sith did not always frame relationships in the kind of seriousness that Jedi did. She didn't want to force Lana to commit to her if that was something the Sith didn't want to do. That was a conversation that would keep, though. For now, she had some pirate supplies to destroy.

"As pirates go, the Nova Blades are relatively well trained and equipped. It comes of having had a monopoly here for so long and being able to build up their resources. I don't necessarily think they'll pose a challenge to you, but... I do ask that you take care. I want you to come back to me safely."

Aloomma clasped Lana's hand gently, holding it firm until those golden eyes finally met hers again. The Jedi smiled. 

"I will come back to you. I promise. I wish that you could come with me, but I understand why you can't. I do hope that I will be able to fight with you at my side soon, though."

Lana's smile was bright and brilliant and Aloomma felt her heart skip a little. 

"You will. That's a promise. For now, you need to head through Raider's Cove and into the jungle the other side. That's where you'll find the assets we're hitting. Theron and I will try to pinpoint some more. Try not to have too much fun..."

"That's rich coming from a Sith..."

Aloomma shot back over her shoulder as she set off back towards the centre of Raider's Cove. 

The town itself was quite pleasant, it blended with the landscape in a way that the towering spires of Coruscant or Corellia didn't. Apparently Taris had been a city world too, once upon a time. Darth Malak's bombardment had come closer than anything else to wiping the planet's surface clean, and it had a strange, sad, wild beauty to it now where the landscape was reclaiming the ruins of the buildings which had once covered the entire surface of the planet. Aloomma was starting to think that she could be quite at home here. 

It had parallels to Tython, but where the buildings there were ancient stone, equally well embedded in the forests and hills, this was younger, newer, and less... permanent somehow. In a thousand years, Raider's Cove was not likely to leave any trace at all. With the future of the galaxy seemingly weighing on her shoulders, the idea of something being transient was quite refreshing. And although a pirate planet didn't seem the natural home for a Jedi... Aloomma was still having second thoughts about whether or not she still deserved, or even still wanted that title. 

She had considered taking a speeder, but elected to walk instead. The stockpiles she was planning to hit weren't far away, and it was easier to have the element of surprise without a speeder being involved. The trees were beautiful, the air was hot and thick with moisture, and the calling of the birds in the canopy overhead was loud and harsh. There were plenty of creatures to avoid, too - like so many planets, the local wildlife on Rishi seemed far from friendly. This was a young beauty, a savage, wild beauty, where Tython's was old and altogether more peaceful for the most part. 

Once she'd crossed the tropical blue stream on the other side and made her way into the jungle, things changed. As promised, Jakarro and Deefour were waiting for her there. They'd evidently made their own way out while she'd been meditating. 

"At last! You should know by know that it isn't wise to keep the mighty Jakarro waiting!" The Wookiee rumbled. 

"Must you complain so loudly, master? There could be ruthless pirates or hungry wildlife all around us! Hearing us, smelling us..."

"I apologise. I came as soon as Lana fetched me. I know I didn't have the chance to say so already, but I'm glad you're still helping us. We need all the allies you can get."

Jakarro ululated his agreement. 

"Now, are we going to destroy the Revanite-loving scum-eaters or are we going to stand out here in the heat all day?"

"I've got the coordinates of the supply cache. Do you have the beacons for me to mark with?"

Jakarro handed her a small pouch, and Aloomma grinned. 

"Thank you. Fly safe."

"Good hunting, little Jedi!"

Aloomma tucked the pouch safely into her belt and set off towards the supply cache coordinates. 

When her information indicated that she was approaching Skyline Falls, Aloomma slipped into the silent, invisible cloak of the Force and began to make her approach. Of course, it might be possible to tag their resources entirely without notice and slip away undetected in the inevitable chaos of the bombardment, but... whatever shape their plan took in future, it was likely to be easier if she had thinned the Nova Blade ranks a little. Besides. This had to look like a grudge attack. There were some impressive stockpiles of weaponry, and she thinned out more than half of the men there and planted a few Red Hull banners for good measure. When Jakarro had cleared out all she could find, Aloomma went looking for the camp commander. 

He seemed to be a little harried already, and she crept silently through the trees towards him, hoping to overhear something useful.

"It's like a warzone Commodore! We're going to lose everything if we don't airlift what's left to the slave camp!"

Aloomma adjusted her grip on the hilt of her saber, making a mental note of the slave camp. She couldn't abide slavery, and she wasn't about to sit by and let it carry on now. 

"We're not backing down just because some upstart crew thinks they got what it takes to break us. Buckle down! Be a Nova Blade! And kill whoever's messing with us!"

Well, that had to be the Nova Blade leader. It was more than likely she'd be meeting him face to face soon enough. 

"But- Commodore Margok!"

The holocall ended and Aloomma stepped out of the shadows. 

"Go tell the Commodore and the rest of the Blades that the Red Hulls are in charge now."

The man turned, seemingly unfazed.

"Heard stories about you. Dropped Gorro. Put a fright into that weasel Zykken. I took down a dozen contenders to get this post. I'm not even a little bit scared of you."

Aloomma sent the double blades of her saber out and leapt forward, taking the advantage as much as she had it. 

The confrontation was quick, and afterwards she put a marker on the command building for Jakarro and headed back to the nearby holoterminal to call back to base.

"Theron, do you read me? The supply cache has been destroyed."

"Nice work." Theron replied with a grin, then Lana appeared beside him. 

"I believe one more assault on the Nova Blades' holdings should be enough to solidify our 'pirate feud' and disguise our true goal."

"One of the Blades mentioned a slave camp. Do you know anything about that?"

"We do." Theron replied, "You remember me saying that the Nova Blades basically run things around here? For the most part, they're pretty hands-off, but if someone stands up to them or fails to pay their 'fees' for living here the Blades grab them and ship them off to the slave camp."

Lana took over the briefing, and Aloomma admired how smoothly the two of them worked together. It went a long way towards making this nightmare easier to handle.

"The slaves are a substantial part of the Nova Blades' income, both through their labour in hazardous mines and as merchandise for off-world slave traders. According to our information the slaves are kept on a remote island under heavy guard. Do you think you can manage to free them?"

Aloomma smiled, almost forgetting for a moment that Theron was there. 

"You really aren't like other Sith, are you..."

Lana's answering smile had a warmth to it even over holocall.

"I like to think I'm my own woman."

"Since we don't know the island's exact coordinates, your best bet is to stow away in one of the shipping containers the Nova Blades take out there." Theron slid smoothly back into the conversation before either of them could get too distracted. "Once you reach the island you can catch them by surprise, break up the security and free as many as possible."

"All in a day's work for a noble Jedi, yes?" Lana teased, as the call came to a close. 

Aloomma could feel her heart pounding as she looked around for a shipping container. She couldn't keep the smile off her lips either, and all of that was more than simply the adrenaline of the fight. This was back at the frontline, not under the auspices of the Order or any of their expectations. This was fighting for a cause she believed in implicitly, with a freedom she'd been missing, with no obligations, and with a lover who made her heart beat faster.

There was an empty crate at the end of the dock, and she could hear a supply shuttle coming in low. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. She sprinted to the empty crate and tucked herself away inside just as the ship came overhead and she felt herself being lifted into the air. 

The flight was a short one, but Aloomma had no sense of direction. She hoped that Theron and Lana would still be able to trace her location. She still had a couple of locator beacons though, which would hopefully be useful in destroying this slave camp. She was rather looking forward to getting further up the Nova Blades noses. She didn't have any sympathy for people who made their fortunes on the backs of others. That was where a lot of her dislike of the Empire came from. 

The camp was grimy, there were shipping containers all around that looked like they had been refitted for transporting people. Slaves were huddled on the ground in rags, looking too sick to move. There didn't seem to be many Nova Blades about but Aloomma wasn't exactly in the mood to leave many survivors. There had to be enough to take a message about who'd done the deed. It had to be clear that it was the Red Hulls behind this. Funny really, to have a pirate gang consisting of one official member and four who sort of counted if you squinted. Still, they always had been specialists at making an impact. 

She grabbed some stimpacks from the nearby crate and started the clean up, beginning with the group of huddled, weakened people on the beach nearest the pier she'd arrived on. They were men and women, with dark, hollow eyes. They all murmured thanks as she administered the adrenaline. It would be enough to help them get out of here, to last the journey back to Raider's Cove. 

Aloomma took a quick glance around and spotted a handy shipping container nearby that had evidently been used for a recent delivery. She pointed towards it and gave a gesture to keep quiet. They evidently didn't need telling twice, and set off towards it. She had to hope they knew what they were doing, and that they had the strength to start getting it set up. 

There was a group of Nova Blades on the path up ahead, and Aloomma slipped silently into the Force until she was in the midst of them when she launched out with a spinning strike with both ends of her saber. They didn't last long at all, and it seemed she'd taken them out quickly enough not to send the alarm out to anyone else. That was a concern - she could handle the number she could see, but if Margok could be persuaded to send reinforcements to hold this camp after Skyline Falls... well. She could be in trouble. 

It looked like the Nova Blades didn't really believe in slave accomodation, instead they'd locked them into containers that looked a lot like an empty one down by the pier. The locks they had in place didn't offer any resistance to a lightsaber though, and Aloomma managed to break them out without too much difficulty. 

Between the freed slaves and the wounded ones she'd managed to get back to upright, Aloomma reckoned she had about twenty or so. That should be enough to put a dent in the Nova Blades operation. None of them were armed, though, and she had no way of getting weapons into their hands right now apart from off the pirate corpses. Well. At least she could send them back armed even if they weren't yet fit to fight.

There were a few scattered pirates still in the camp, preparing for a counter-attack, and Aloomma cleared them out, collecting all the weapons together and carrying them back down to the shipping container. 

"Jakarro, I have a pick up for you."

"Ceetoo Deefour here. We have your coordinates and are on our way."

A man who seemed to be one of the de facto leaders of the group stepped forward, grey-haired with a heavy beard. 

"Hey. Guess we owe you a thank you. Never expected to see a Jedi out here. Been mining exonium for the Blades every day for two years. All to pay off a lousy three grand I owed. And I ain't the only one."

Aloomma proffered the weapons. 

"You're free to do what you want now."

"Yeah. And we had a talk about that. Even in this place we hear stuff. About your gang, the way you've been making life difficult for the Blades, and we wanna be a part of that."

Now. She hadn't been expecting that. Gratitude, sure, and relief, enthusiasm even to be getting back to their families, friends, normal lives... maybe this was an opportunity to actually have a pirate gang of some sort. Besides, it might be an opportunity to do some good. 

"You wanna work for me?"

"Hey. We're good at a whole lot of stuff. Tell you what, get in touch with a pal of mine in Raider's Cove. Harlow Ricks. Check in with Ricks from time to time, tell him what you want us to do and we'll do it - simple as that. You get nice and close to Margok, you give him one for me, all right?"

Aloomma offered a salute as the container door shut and Jakarro flew down to pick it up. She was on her way back too. It was time to reassess their position.


	6. The Aggressor

The safehouse still wasn't much, but it felt good to be back all the same. Running missions alone didn't have an entirely good feeling about it, and that was proving hard to process. On the one hand, Aloomma had always preferred running independently to constantly having to report to authority and explain herself. She recognised that the degree of autonomy she had was unusual, even for a Jedi, but up until now she had always been running with a partner, with at least one member of her crew. Sure, tonight she'd had Jakarro and Deefour for back up, but they'd been eyes in the sky. Valuable, vital even, but not the same as having someone watch your back. 

She strolled inside and rolled her shoulders, stretching a little, and taking a brief moment to admire Lana again. Oh, green looked good on her. 

"I got the slaves off of the island."

Theron grinned as the two of them sauntered over to her. 

"We heard. Word of your raids is going around fast. Even the Revanites have heard about the great Red Hulls."

Lana kissed her cheek, just swiftly, tangling their fingers together for a brief moment on her way over to the holocomm. 

"We just intercepted this transmission from the Nova Blades' headquarters, actually."

Margok appeared, short compared to the cloaked figure towering in front of him. The sight of Revan alarmed Aloomma a little, but it was good to be able to see him again too. The more they knew, the easier this might be. 

"This is ridiculous! How am I supposed to hold up our part of the deal if you won't give us any backup when we're in trouble?"

"Then perhaps we should seek other allies. I'm sure there are other crews on this planet who are capable of managing their own affairs."

Revan sounded dispassionate and uninterested, his accent a fascinating blend of Imperial and Republic, where so long ago at the time of his birth they had not been so different at all. That seemed to rile Margok up though, which was no surprise. Nobody ever took an insult like that lightly, even when it was coming from one of the strongest Force-users in galactic history. 

"Hey! We've done our share! You wanted the shipping lanes raided; we raided 'em! You wanted stragglers picked off from the big battles - we did it!"

"And your clumsiness cost us our Mandalorian allies."

Now, that piqued Aloomma's interest, and a quick glance around the table indicated that she wasn't the only one who had picked up on that information. Margok, however, still seemed unimpressed. 

"Torch and her crew of old fossils? We're better off without 'em."

"And I'm beginning to think we're better off without you. Deal with your own problems if you want to prove otherwise."

As the transmission ended, Aloomma turned to her own allies. 

"Do you know anything about the Mandalorians they mentioned?"

"I've heard people around town mention Torch, but I didn't realise she was tied to the Blades or the Revanites. Might be a good lead for later."

Theron replied, and Lana cut in. 

"Right now though, I think we should press our advantage against the Nova Blades."

"Agreed. The Nova Blades are based out of an old crashed warship: the Aggressor. You've probably seen it, off in the distance. You need to hit them hard - make it look like the goal is to completely crush them, so nobody notices when we raid their computer cores for intel."

"Jakarro is refuelling his ship as we speak. While you approach the Aggressor, you can use your target designator to call for his assistance, just like before."

"I'll contact you as soon as I reach the Aggressor, then we can finally start getting the answers we need..." Aloomma reached for Lana's hand, taking it with a little hesitance, "...Unless I can persuade you to come with me?"

Lana watched her for a long moment, then her features softened into a smile. 

"...Why not. It's been a while since I had the chance to get a proper workout, sparring with you excepted. It might be fun to fight at your side. And forgive me, I'm aware that you're more than capable, but I'd still rather you weren't out there alone."

Aloomma smiled, drawing her closer, clasping Lana's forearm for a moment as she leaned in for a soft kiss. 

"It would be an honour to have you by my side."

Lana smiled, checking her armour and saber over briefly. 

"Very well then, let's go."

The trip out into the jungle seemed shorter this time. The sun was bright overhead, slanting down between the trees, and Aloomma almost wanted to skip for joy having Lana at her side. It had been far too long since there had been someone at her back, and this was someone she could trust, someone she did trust with everything. Once upon a time the thought of going into battle with a Sith at her back would have been anathema to her, but Lana was different, and, more importantly, she was different now. Her heart was singing, a freedom she had never thought she could feel again, perhaps one she had never felt before at all. 

They took a long route around to the Aggressor camp, giving Jakarro plenty of time to get into position. Aloomma was in no hurry really, of course, they needed to set this to rest, they needed to get their ducks in a row before the Revanites arrived, the fate of the galaxy was hanging in the balance again and it was zinging through her veins just like the power of the Force. It felt like a rebirth, and she didn't know how to handle the energy of it at all. 

Lana chuckled slightly, and the Jedi glanced back, green eyes dancing. 

"Something funny?"

"Not funny, exactly. It's you, the sheer... joy that's written all over your face. Joy at life, at power, at... well."

"At you?"

Aloomma had paused, gazing back at her, a smile resting lightly on her lips as sunbeams danced in her burnished hair. 

Lana froze, feeling a colour rise on her cheeks. That had caught her off guard, and the thought of it was... not unpleasant. Far from it. She had been teasing really, happy to see this woman she lo- cared about. This woman she cared about. Looking so much like herself again, even moreso.

Aloomma reached back to take her hand, Lana's breath caught in her throat, staring at that point of contact. This was ridiculous. She was a Sith, she'd had plenty of lovers, Aloomma was nothing special. She wasn't even, in the most accurate sense of the word, a lover. She was a friend, a warrior, a Jedi, this was not the time to be getting caught up, Revan was on his way, the fate of the whole galaxy was hanging in the balance and Aloomma was probably the only one who could stop it... and yet, although it had started as a joke, the thought that /she/ might be part of what had the Jedi looking so happy made her heart ache, just a little. 

"Does it surprise you so?"

"No, I... of course, you make me happy too, I-"

It was Aloomma who closed the gap between them again, stepping in to kiss her, soft and warm and wanting. When she broke away those dappled-forest eyes were close enough to drown in and Lana stared. 

"Don't overthink it. Suffice it to say, I hope, that there is nobody I would rather have by my side, in this fight or otherwise. I trust you, Lana Beniko, more than I have trusted anyone in a long time, perhaps ever. When I was lost, lower than I had ever /ever/ been, you showed me a level of friendship and understanding I had no right to expect, and I find... well. Yes, I find the thought of you brings me joy. Is that so strange?"

"Not strange at all. I merely... had not previously considered things in such terms before. Sith aren't really known for pleasantries in love. The thought that I might bring someone joy is a little foreign to me, forgive me."

Another dazzlingly warm smile, and a chaste kiss to her cheek. 

"There is nothing to forgive. Thanks to you I feel I can breathe, and in this place it is a pleasure to breathe free. I am rediscovering much about myself, or perhaps in some cases, discovering it outright. I do not feel beholden to a code which was choking me, paralysing me, drowning me. I can feel my strength returning, and it feels familiar still. I feel the comfort of a purpose, a clear mission ahead, and the surroundings for it are beautiful. Although it seems a strange place for a Jedi to frequent, I find that I would gladly return to Rishi. On top of all of these things there is you. A true and loyal friend, a woman for whom I have nothing but respect and affection, whom I... desire greatly to know better. There is much to feel joyful about, and I intend to enjoy that respite while it lasts, for I know well that it will be brief and there are dark days ahead of us."

Lana smiled, shaking her head a little, golden eyes calm. 

"Is this Jedi wisdom?"

"No, this wisdom is my own. Do you like it?"

"I must try adapting it myself. And I... would... like to know you better too."

Aloomma's smile took on a distinctly more salacious tone, and her eyes traced slowly from Lana's own down her body and back up again before she turned back to the path ahead. 

"Well... perhaps after this battle is over we can find an opportunity somewhere a little more private than the safehouse."

Lana took a few deep breaths, trying to do something about how lightheaded she felt. Nobody had had quite that effect on her before, and with Aloomma looking at her like that she found it strangely hard to remember to breathe at all. But no matter quite how delicious those images were, they would have to wait for the far side of the battle that lay ahead, and she owed it to the Jedi at least to have her focus entirely on the fight. 

When she had control of her voice again, she replied. 

"Yes, that sounds most agreeable. I look forward to it."

Aloomma laughed without looking back. 

"That makes two of us."

Lana shook her head, smiling as she watched the Jedi take the lead through the thick jungle. She liked this, how natural it felt to be facing enemies with this woman. She also very much liked the opportunity to fight again. Being on the run had been constraining in so many ways, not least the ability to resist. Knowing the danger the galaxy was in and being able to do nothing about it had chafed more than anything. She didn't so much mind leaving her old life behind, at times she found she didn't miss it at all. Sith in-fighting was notorious and exhausting, and she had so often found that her face didn't fit. Blending in, pretending to be someone else, someone normal, hiding in the criminal underbelly... that had been liberating. Not being able to use her powers or draw her saber, to take on the people who had trapped them all in this position, to fight those who were plunging the galaxy headlong towards its doom... that had nagged at her more than anything. Being free to move at last, to resist in the open, to fight again and channel some of that frustration that came from being cooped up and punished... that made her blood sing, but what made her heart sing was the woman beside her who would once have been the most unlikely of battle companions. 

On the way to the Aggressor they needed to tag several Nova Blade comms towers for Jakarro to destroy. Theron's intelligence indicated that they would need decoder modules from the towers to decrypt the computer cores at the Aggressor base to get the information they needed. They weren't sure how many cores they would need, but the Nova Blades didn't have that many comms towers and three had seemed a likely number in case of fail-safes. 

Ahead of her, Aloomma stopped, rolling her shoulders back and taking a deep breath, hand going to her saber. Lana drew her own weapon, not yet extending the blade, and moved up behind to see what her lover could see. 

They were at the top of a bluff, an excellent vantage point even in the trees, and in the distance the Aggressor was just about visible. Protruding through the canopy between them and the base were several comms towers. Lana took a moment to consider the terrain before shifting her attention to the Jedi at her side. 

"What do you think?"

"The way I see it, we have two options. One is that we split up and take out one tower each, then regroup at the final tower to hit the base together, the other is that we take out all three as a team."

"It'll be faster if we hit two together, it gives them less time to work out we're coming."

"Agreed. So, Lana Beniko... do you want to go left or right?"

There was a wicked smile dancing on Aloomma's lips and Lana only just managed to resist the urge to kiss it away. Such mischief was still strange to her from a Jedi, or, she amended, a woman who had once been a Jedi. The prospect of death and destruction bringing joy was something she understood all too well as a Sith but she still was not quite sure what to make of it from the Warden of the Jedi Order, their so-called Barsen'thor.

"I think I'll go left, thank you. What's the stance on survivors?"

"I think we need to take every opportunity we can to thin their numbers. We are only a very small force, and as strong as you are, as I am, as Theron and Jakarro are... this is too important to risk defeat."

Lana nodded, taking a moment to lace their fingers together and gaze into those deep green eyes. 

"Agreed. War has so many unpleasant necessities, doesn't it."

Aloomma gave her hand a gentle squeeze, but dropped her gaze.

"It does. But you do not need to protect me from them, I have seen too much of them already."

"That much I know, and I do not intend any insult whatsoever. But is it so strange that my heart aches a little to see you so changed?"

"I was already changing when we met. I can't think when the process began, truth be told. And as much as I want to hold to the code, there is little place for it here." If anything those green eyes were more intense still when they came up once more to meet Lana's golden ones. "I am forging a middle way. And I do not take pleasure in killing, but it is a relief to finally be fighting a corporeal enemy, to fight back against those who have taken so much from me and those whom I care so deeply for."

Lana sighed softly, but smiled in return, her own achingly bittersweet. Oh, she understood all too well. Instead of searching for words which might never do it justice, she lifted her hand to her lips and brushed a kiss across Aloomma's knuckles before relinquishing it. 

"Till the third tower then, love."

With a soft whoosh the double blades of Aloomma's saber extended, and she smiled as she ran down the hill to the right, disappearing into the Force.

The two fights were quick, barely more than skirmishes, with the few Nova Blades at each tower easily dispatched. The bombardment from Jakarro came in one run, and the two towers vanished in plumes of smoke rising above the trees. 

The two fighters arrived at the third tower almost simultaneously, and with both of them there the fight was faster still, allowing Jakarro to turn once to finish the mission. 

Aloomma smiled as she retrieved the last decoder module from the smoking remains of the tower. 

"I find I enjoy watching you fight very much."

"Not too much I hope, I would hate to be a distraction."

The brunette laughed, tucking the decoder module Lana proferred into her pack too. 

"Nothing so bad just yet, but I've always enjoyed watching gifted warriors at work. There's a grace and ferocity to it, like watching an animal hunt almost. You are so sparing with your energy, so efficient, and yet they never looked close to landing a blow on you."

"Few come close to such things, and those who do are much fiercer than low-grade lackeys. But I appreciate the compliment. I must say I am coming to a new appreciation of your fighting style too."

"We work well together."

Lana's smile was softer this time as she took up her post at Aloomma's back. 

"Yes, we do..."

The paltry security on the Aggressor's door was easily by-passed, and just as the forcefield vanished, Theron appeared via holocomm.

"Good work-"

Before he could continue the connection flickered, and Commodore Margok appeared in his place, staring down at the two women with undisguised contempt.

"You really are insane. Coming after us here? Should've stuck with picking on tourists in the Outer Rim."

"You've sold your last slaves. The Nova Blades are finished."

"We'll see. The Nova Blades founded Raider's Cove. We've been here long before you, and we'll be here long after."

The Commodore vanished and Theron appeared in his place once more now the disruption was gone. 

"I can get the doors open, but it looks like the Nova Blades have their own slicers on staff so I can't get at any real data."

Lana smiled wolfishly. 

"Sounds like we'll need the direct approach."

Aloomma's smile took on a distinctly similar cast as she added,

"We'll take care of it."

Theron glanced between the two of them for a moment, one eyebrow arched, but rather than any sarcastic comment he simply offered a 'good luck' and closed the connection. 

"This might go faster if we split up again, take out any slicers, security terminals, and supplies we find, see if we can work out where Margok's hiding."

"I agree, but I don't think we should take him on individually."

Aloomma tilted her head, a little surprised. 

"He's just a pirate, there's no real threat there. Sure he's got a big gun, but his ego's even bigger. I've met plenty like him, so have you I'm sure."

"I have, but I don't think we should be too overconfident. You're almost back to full strength, I know that, and you're one of the best fighters I've seen. Under normal circumstances I don't doubt that either of us could take him out without a problem. This isn't about any kind of weakness or lack of faith in your abilities, this is my concern about his allies. I don't trust Margok, and I trust Revan even less. We can't know that Revan hasn't left him some kind of insurance policy or back up, we can't know how personally he'll take this attack. At the moment he seems to be acting more like Darth Revan than the Jedi he once was, and that makes it more likely that he'll take Margok's failure as a contemptible sign of weakness, particularly so close to his plan coming to fruition, but we can't know that and I think we should take him down together."

"That makes sense. So, left or right?"

Lana smiled, drawing her blade once more. 

"This time I'll take right."

Aloomma chuckled and kissed her swiftly on the cheek. 

"Good luck, not that you'll need it. If you get a sniff of Margok, let me know."

"I will. Same to you."

A quick handclasp and the two women parted ways once more into the belly of the ship. There wasn't much resistance again, more than there had been at the comms towers but not really anything of note. By the time they'd taken control of the security terminals for Theron to get his back way in and taken out those Nova Blades who offered active resistance, there was hardly anyone left at all. 

After scouring their sections of the old ship again to be sure, Lana and Aloomma regrouped at the entrance corridor. 

"According to the blueprints there's only one place he could be, so I suggest we go that way."

Lana smiled and offered a slight bow. 

"I quite agree. After you."

With a curtsey in return and a smile dancing on her lips, Aloomma set off past the one airlock they had yet to investigate. 

They emerged onto a platform above a bank of computers in a room which was open to the elements with the sun streaming in. There had been evidence all through the Aggressor of Rishi reclaiming this unwelcome intruder. It was certainly food for thought. 

The two of them had barely stepped out before they heard the distinct sound of a weapon being hefted and cocked. 

Margok was standing below them, two pirates at his back. 

"This is my ship. Think you can just walk on in and be left alive?"

He opened fire without a further word, and while Aloomma leaped down to confront him head-on, Lana stayed on the platform to fight from a distance, taking out the support before they could interfere in the fight, confident to leave Margok himself to Aloomma. A cannon wasn't a good choice of weapon close range, and she was too fast to give him much of an opening. With their uncertainty about the kind of support Revan might or might not provide his ally though, they needed a pair of eyes up high. 

She was so attuned to her senses, both physical and in the Force, that she barely noticed when a stray blaster bolt hit her in the thigh, retaliating with a blast of lightning that knocked the offender out of sight. 

Margok was down, and Aloomma was sheathing her saber again. Lana leapt over the railing of the platform, much as Aloomma had, and groaned as her leg crumpled beneath her, cursing. 

Aloomma sprinted over, helping her up carefully, one arm wrapped under Lana's own to take her weight. 

"You're hurt!"

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing."

"Well, whatever it is it can wait. Get the network back up so Theron can start extracting the data. We don't have much time and this will give us the best chance at a head start we have."

Aloomma muttered something uncomplimentary about Sith stubbornness under her breath, helping Lana over to the terminal and rebooting the network. 

Theron appeared in front of them again. 

"I'm in. There are dozens of comm logs in here... hundreds. Sent to people all over the galaxy. Coruscant, Dromund Kaas, Corellia... The names are all encoded but breaking through that is only a matter of time. I'm going to get started right away. Great work, both of you."

He cut the connection, and Lana smiled, a little thin, a little shaky.

"We should hurry back. Despite what we overheard earlier, the Revanites could show up at any moment to try and help their allies. Besides... I think we've earned a bit of a celebration."

"And you're injured."

"Not a high price to pay in the grand scheme of things. Besides, it just gives you an opportunity to take care of me instead, doesn't it?"

That made Aloomma laugh, and she shook her head, kissing Lana soundly, arm still tight around her. 

"You are incorrigible."

"Well forgive me for enjoying the thought of you waiting on my bedside."

"Never mind bedsides. I have a better idea."

Lana grinned, but made her eyes huge in an attempt to feign hurt anxiety at the suggestion.

"I'm not fit for such things!"

Aloomma rolled her eyes, summoning a mount to take them back to the safehouse. 

"Nothing so scandalous as all that. There's a Jedi healing ritual I think you might particularly enjoy."

"Well now you really /have/ got me intrigued..."

"Oh shut up and hold tight."

"Promises, promises."


	7. A Healing Ritual

Theron didn't look hugely impressed when the two of them pulled up alongside the safehouse. 

"...You didn't think it was important to mention you got injured?"

"No, not particularly." 

Lana replied coolly, and Aloomma rolled her eyes. 

"It didn't exactly seem hugely relevant at the time, it happened at the end of the fight, and there wasn't an immediate risk of death or a complication to getting back, so no, she didn't mention it, and it wasn't my news to share."

"Well I can see the two of you are just going to be a joy to work with, teaming up like this."

"We do try."

Aloomma helped Lana off the speeder, trying not to smile at the Sith's comment. It wouldn't help matters, but she was quite enjoying negotiating the freedom of not having to be pleasant and agreeable all the time. Tearing down the barriers choking her off from her Force connection had brought her power flooding back, and accepting the slight taint to the wellspring of it had opened a whole spectrum of new emotions to her. Sometimes they were a little overwhelming and intense, but it was still liberating. Jedi were held to such high standards, by everyone in the galaxy, and it had become so that they now policed themselves and each other. The voice in her own head telling her all the things she should have done, had failed to do, the times she had erred and every minor aberration had been her own worst enemy. She didn't miss it, though she wasn't entirely sure that it would not come back. Perhaps Lana could help with that. 

"I need to know if something happens that could potentially compromise the mission or affect how we move forward. You're both key resources in this fight. Lana, you of all people know how critical resource management is, particularly when we're dealing with such a sensitive mission with such a small team."

Lana sighed, leaning heavily on the Jedi's side and trying not to wince. A strategically applied medpac had at least stopped the bleeding, but she didn't trust her leg to take weight yet. 

"...I know, Theron. I'm sorry."

"For what it's worth, I have a plan?" 

Aloomma offered, and Theron glanced up, intrigued. 

"...Oh? And just what is your plan?"

"How much do you know about Jedi rituals?"

"More than most SIS agents. Remember who my mother is, and then consider who raised me. I might not have any natural affinity for the Force, but I have the training."

"This is true, but I'm talking about old rituals."

"A surprising amount. I always found the history and information side of things more interesting than the more spiritual side of things. It might have been different if I'd had any ability, but I just followed where my talents lay."

Aloomma smiled gently and squeezed his shoulder. 

"And you are very talented. That's what makes you such an asset. And we do appreciate you. There's an old Jedi healing ritual I learned about when I was reading in the Jedi temple. It originates from Ilum. I thought now seemed like a good time to apply it. We already have the hot springs here after all."

"...I think I know the one you mean. My mother... I've seen her perform it once before. And been a participant. It was a long time ago, I think I was about eight years old. I was still living with her master, and she came back from a mission in pretty bad shape. He got me to fetch the wood. I couldn't do it with the Force, but Jedi have always been fans of hard work so that didn't exactly stop me having to do it anyway."

Aloomma chuckled.

"Well, fortunately I can use the Force and there's plenty of jungle around so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge. That, and we have a Wookiee."

"Wookiees can be a bit strange about cutting down trees, even though the ones here aren't Wroshyr trees."

"That's true."

Lana hissed and turned her face into Aloomma's shoulder, biting her lip as her leg twinged. 

"As fascinating as this all is, I don't actually have a clue what you're talking about and I have much more interest in either getting some kolto, or in whatever this is that you're talking about happening as a matter of urgency, so may I kindly request that you stop reminiscing and get a move on?"

Aloomma's arm tightened around her waist and she pressed a soft kiss to Lana's forehead by way of apology. 

"Of course, love. I'm sorry."

The endearment slipped easily from her lips, but it was out there now and too late to take back, even if she wanted to, and Aloomma wasn't sure she did. Rather than dwell on it, rather than look for any kind of matching response, she helped Lana back into the safehouse and crouched before her for a moment, taking her hands and gazing up into those golden eyes. 

"...It won't take long to set this up, but it will make a difference to both of us, I believe, and maybe even to Theron too if we let him join. It heals the body, and the mind and the soul all at once. It's very... effective, and it's something I enjoy. Honestly... I'd be tempted to do it once a month or so myself, just as a refresher if I had the time. I don't know if it would be treating the power too lightly, but... well. Trust me?"

"I do trust you, love. I do."

It's easy to call her that, and Lana finds that she rather likes it. Her own heart had skipped a little when it slipped from Aloomma's lips, and she's hoping the Jedi doesn't take it back, hoping that this tacit acceptance might indicate that such intimacy is welcome. 

Aloomma squeezed her hand and brushed a soft kiss to Lana's cheek. 

"I'll be back soon then, love."

"I'll be waiting."

Lana passed the time waiting for Aloomma's return lying on the bed and leafing through the data they'd recovered from the Aggressor. Theron had made some progress with the decryption, but there are a lot of names. Part of her wanted to know whether there were any she knew on there, and it wasn't surprising to see some more names of Arkous' level on there, however much it ached. Betrayal was always part of the Sith code, loyalty was always conditional, and the doctrine of survival of the fittest was beaten into initiates from the very earliest moments on Korribban, earlier still for those in Sith families. It had never really sat well with her, and even during her trials she'd found it more expedient to work in groups. It was never possible for one single person to have every skill, and every mission always required a combination of talents and abilities which was much easier with a properly assembled team. 

She had always been aware of how different she seemed to be from the Sith around her, and although it didn't trouble her - she was perfectly confident in her own abilities and her position - it was strange to realise that the person she had met who seemed best to understand her was a hero of the Jedi order. Lana had always put the Empire above everything, and that was what made it easy to have allies like this. Revan was a threat to everything, the galaxy as a whole, the Empire... everyone involved was a traitor and she wasn't prepared to let that stand. There was a risk that bringing this down might decimate the Empire's forces, the power structures that had endured for centuries, but she had to take that risk because the alternative was everything.

Technically, of course, she was a Sith Lord, but the title had never particularly made a difference to her, and she didn't make a habit of using it or seeking advancement. There were times when it was useful to be able to pull rank, but she preferred to use her power, her abilities even then. Rank wasn't always earned, but authority, command, those things could be given or taken away, and they weren't things she took lightly. Arkous had been willing to show faith in her, even when she had at first regarded him with great suspicion, and his betrayal is probably the greatest sting of all. She had never understood the tendency of so many Sith to charge into problems without due consideration, she had always preferred to analyse a problem from every possible angle... but there were few who shared that view, and at this point in time, she can only really think of two. Both Darth Marr and Darth Nox were far away, though, and had no reason to believe her without the evidence she had so desperately lacked until this point. Even with their support though, it wouldn't be possible for the Empire to defeat Revan alone. She sighed heavily and shifted to get up from the bed. 

"I thought you were staying off that leg?"

Lana glanced up, and had the decency to offer a slightly shame-faced smile as Aloomma walked back in. 

"...I was bored."

"I'm sorry I was away so long. Everything's ready, will you join me?"

"Of course. Will you help me? Since you don't seem so happy about the idea of me doing it myself."

Aloomma smiled and helped Lana up off the bed, taking her weight easily. 

"You're correct, love. It's a chance to pay back a little of the kindness you showed me when I arrived barely fit to walk."

Lana blushed slightly. 

"...That was... hardly kindness. It was the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do, says the Sith to the Jedi... and how often do you think that conversation happens that way around?"

"I thought you said you weren't a Jedi?"

"We both know it's more complicated than that."

Lana sighed softly, closing her eyes for a moment and letting her head rest against Aloomma's. That hadn't come out quite how she intended, and it was only natural for it to be a sensitive subject for Aloomma, all things considered. 

"...It is. I'm sorry. That was perhaps a little unfair."

"Don't be so quick to deny the good you did. You have always had a true heart, that much I know. Perhaps we come from opposite sides, and differing traditions, but you have always been slow to anger, quick to consider, and loyal as far as I'm aware. Besides, I appreciate that you don't always jump to solving problems with needless violence. That's something I've seen on both sides and it just... makes me so weary."

Aloomma sighed heavily, and Lana could feel it in the Jedi's whole body where she was pressed up close, taking Lana's weight. 

Not far from the safehouse, next to a nearby spring, there was now a crude little wooden building. It looked organic somehow, like it had been shaped from the forest. Lana can see hints of Aloomma's Force power and Jakarro's brute strength in it. 

"...Well, now you have got me intrigued, I have to say."

Aloomma brushed a kiss to her cheek. 

"The others have stepped back to give us some space for now. If you feel like you're comfortable with it, Theron might join us in a bit, or I think he might have a session after we're done. It's not a particularly wookiee-friendly activity though, so I don't think we need to worry about Jakarro. I don't even know what wookiees make of naked people actually, but I don't like to ask."

"Naked people?"

It's the Jedi's turn to look a little shame-faced now as she smiles, a hint of colour on her cheekbones. 

"...I was just coming to that. We need to disrobe for this. That's why the others have backed off to give us some space, and why Theron's not just coming in with us right now."

"I find it a little amusing that you think Theron and I have spent this long in close quarters with each other and not seen each other naked."

"It's less that I think you haven't seen each other naked and more that, particularly when you're injured it's nice to have a choice about who sees you at your most vulnerable, and as pretty as Theron is, I thought you might prefer not to deal with a naked SIS agent if you didn't have to."

Lana sighed but smiled, glancing up at Aloomma through her lashes.

"...Alright, you might have a point. Will you help me?"

And Aloomma's smile grew a little more wicked, and there was a glint in her dappled-forest eyes as she replied. 

"Of course, love."

When Aloomma helped her into the little hut, crouching awkwardly through the low entrance, Lana's eyes widened a little. There was a fire in the centre of it, with stones resting in the fire, and one thin slab that looked like it might once have been an artefact tablet propped on the very top at an angle. There was a log which looked like it was probably intended to serve as a bench, and a bucket of water with a ladle in it that Lana was fairly sure she recognise from the kitchen in the safehouse. 

"...What is this ritual? It's very hot in here."

"That's the point. It's a sauna. We sit in here and stoke the fire. It's well-insulated, the wood is old growth that won't smoke too much, and we throw water on the stones to make steam. It raises the temperature, draws moisture out of the air somehow, and pulls the toxins and negative energy out of the body. Part of the delay was getting some healing herbs infused in the water. I had to... encourage them a little to make sure they were properly infused, but they'll work their share of healing too. It's an old, old tradition. I don't know whether it even predates the Jedi and they adapted it, or whether it's something they developed. It's not so widely known or used now because... well, so few people have the time for proper ritual these days. Healing is easy enough to work without going to this kind of trouble, but constantly working healing like that... the power has to come from somewhere. But you know that. This is drawing on something different, more of an external source, but not the kind that might exact a price from it like a Force ghost. There's value in this kind of ritual even for people who aren't Force-sensitive, but for those who do have that connection... it can... clarify things?"

"I have to say, I've been to Ilum, and I can quite see why they might have developed this there. I'm not a fan of the cold, I can't imagine the Jedi were either."

Aloomma laughed. 

"No, you're probably right. Are you okay?"

The sweat was already pricking on Lana's brow, but she allowed the Jedi to help her to the log where there were two towels already spread out for them to sit on. 

"So what happens afterwards? Or do we just continue to cook indefinitely?"

"It's not indefinite, and no. That's why it's built next to the spring. You leave the sauna and plunge straight into the cold water. That isn't even that cold, but after the heat in here it will feel cold, and the rush of adrenaline and endorphins of the contrast is the best part."

"I'm not sure if you're really selling the experience, but the way the heat is already soaking into my muscles makes me disinclined to argue too much."

Aloomma smiled. 

"We'll be sweating a lot, so we have to drink a lot too, but I think this will help heal your leg and it won't cost any of your power to do it."

"I have to admit I find this ritual fascinating..."

"I always did find the old approaches interesting. There's a lot of value to individual style, to nurturing that connection and focusing on meditation and channelling power in that way, but I think the shift away from old rituals has cost us in a way. I'm less sure about Sith rituals though."

"Given that the most famous of those is the Nathema ritual, looking at what that did I must say I don't think I can blame you for your scepticism. But this appeals to me as a healer, and I would be interested in hearing more about anything else you feel willing to share."

Aloomma smiled, small, but real and warm, and Lana felt her cheeks colouring entirely separate of the temperature. 

"...I'll think about it, thank you. See what I can dredge up. Now, are you ready for me to get some steam going in here?"

"Why not. There's no time like the present, after all."

And Aloomma chuckled as she threw the first ladle of water on. Lana took a deep breath as it hissed on the stones, and she could feel the wave of heat hit her skin. There was a delicate scent to it, almost a taste, and for an instant it was almost hard to breathe, but that feeling quickly passed and she let a feeling of intense peace settle over her. Oh yes, this was glorious.

The two women rested together in silence, inhaling the steam, feeling the heat soak into their bodies, until Aloomma finally rolled her shoulders and glanced over, hair hanging damp around her shoulders. 

"Shall we plunge?"

"I suppose... I'm still not so convinced, but I'll play along. You'll still need to help me out though, I think."

Lana glanced down at her leg and was surprised to see that the wound on her thigh had started to knit itself together. It still felt tender, but it was an undeniable improvement.

She looked up to see Aloomma had already stood and was offering her arm. Lana took it, and the two women limped out of the hut and fell into the spring. 

Aloomma let out a shout of exhiliration, taking a deep breath and submerging herself to soak for a long moment before she surfaced again, grinning. 

"It's great, isn't it."

"I... I admit... I am pleasantly surprised... it feels like my whole body's awake... What do we do now?"

"Now we go back in!" Aloomma grinned, pushing herself up out of the pool, dripping wet and gloriously naked in the sunshine. 

Lana took a long moment to admire her before she splashed over to the edge and also clambered out, albeit with slightly less grace. 

Aloomma helped her out, laughing, and pulled her gently into a kiss as soon as she was back on dry land. 

"How would you feel about Theron joining us?"

"I... think I'd be alright with it, actually. It's... almost strange as a Sith to realise that it's possible to have a ritual like this, naked and intimate and yet have there not be any kind of... hunger or desire attached to it. There are plenty of Sith occasions and ceremonies, things that might pass for ritual which involve nudity but... few of them are for the purpose of healing."

"I suppose it's quite hard to find a middle ground between Jedi celibacy and Sith passion. It must be possible though."

"Pragmatism is something which often arises in the field, and although it may be official doctrine, you're hardly the first Jedi not to practise celibacy."

"This is true, but..."

"My mother wasn't that much older than you when she had me. It's hardly impeded her progress, and you can't look at her current rank as an excuse for why she might be able to justify it." Theron interjected, approaching with a towel wrapped around his waist, "What you had with Felix was real, and it mattered. You don't have anything to worry or be ashamed about on that score."

Aloomma's cheeks flushed a little and she glanced at Lana. 

"No, but..."

Lana smiled softly, a hint of sadness in her eyes. 

"Theron's right. And I... will not ask for more of you than you are willing to give. I know it's... more complicated for you, for any number of reasons."

Aloomma swallowed, taking a step toward her, reaching for Lana's hand even as she couldn't look away from her eyes. 

"No, I- I do want you. I do. It's just... very... new. This is all... very new."

"And you have a lot to process."

"While I respect that you have a lot to process, and hell, for all I know maybe you both do, can I respecfully request that none of the processing happens while I'm sharing your sauna?"

Aloomma glared at Theron for that, taking Lana's weight again to help her into the hut. 

"Sauna is for healing, not for sex, get your filthy mind out of the gutter."

"My mind is really not the dirtiest part of me right now, can we just get to the healing?"

"Why did we invite you again?"

"I don't know, but no backsies. I left Jakarro handling dinner."

"...Well I guess if the worst comes to the worst we can always eat some of Lana's leftovers..."

"Don't make that sound like it's some kind of hardship. I worked hard making that food Agent Shan, and it wasn't for you. The least you can do is have the decency to sound grateful."

"You are an excellent chef, as well as being a phenomenal agent, deadly in combat, a skilled tactician with an excellent analytical mind, and a gorgeous woman with an elegant sense of style."

"Now you're just being ridiculous, but that's an improvement on anything we saw in your pick up line book."

"Thank you, I try."

In an effort to get them both to shut up, Aloomma threw another two ladles of water on the stones and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of air so dry it was almost like being on Tatooine. It was admittedly almost impossible to bring Theron into something like this without some degree of bickering, but at least he had enough good sense to fall silent and focus on the heat, the steam, and the relaxation.


	8. Preparations and Potential Allies

The sauna left Lana with an immense feeling of peace and wholeness. She was surprised at first, it seemed strange that something so simple, so... primitive could be so effective, but if anything the Sith had suffered even more than the Jedi from the emphasis on personal power. They had spent several hours in it, all three of them, marinating and plunging, and by the end Lana had no issue with her leg. Whatever it was about the sauna that made it so powerful had evidently supplemented her own natural healing abilities, and she didn't feel at all drained the way sometimes Force-working could leave her.

The fire had burned down in the hut, and the sky was dark velvet pricked with stars. The safehouse was full of companionable silence, and she moved slowly as she tidied the little kitchen area. Jakarro had indeed taken care of diner, and when they had finally emerged from the sauna it had been to a selection of finely barbequed local meat and vegetable kebabs. Lana suspected that C2-D4 had been the one behind the cocktails, but even those had been surprisingly palatable. 

Theron was already asleep, and Lana could understand why. She wondered why a ritual which was such a rejeuvenating experience, which had left her brimming with power, had at the same time left her limbs heavy and her mind pleasantly cloudy. Sleep would come easily and deeply tonight, and she would welcome it. In the morning she had no doubt she would feel better still. 

Jakarro had elected to return to his ship after dinner, to make some unspecified repairs and the safehouse was considerably quieter. After some musing, Lana cut herself a piece of chocolate cake... and then cut a second, noticing the circle of golden light against the far wall which indicated Aloomma was still awake. 

She carried the plates over and smiled with uncharacteristic shyness. 

"...May I join you?"

Aloomma looked up from the cup of tea she had cupped in her hands and smiled. 

"...I'd like that. Would you like some tea? I just made a pot."

"Is it your Tythonian tea?"

"It is indeed."

"Then I would be honoured. After that I think I will have had my fill of Jedi nonsense for the day."

Aloomma chuckled and poured a cup, exchanging it for a slab of cake. 

"Thank you."

Lana perched for a moment on the edge of the bed, then decided that such formality was pointless and relaxed back against the wall next to Aloomma. She took a moment to focus on her tea and cake before she spoke again. 

"...I meant what I said earlier, you know? I... care very deeply for you. I don't wish to pressure you into something you are uncomfortable with or not ready for. I know... things have changed a lot for you recently, very rapidly, and that sometimes when that sort of thing leaves your head spinning it can lead to... decisions you regret."

Aloomma nodded, once more staring into the steam curling up from her amber tea. 

"...Thank you. I appreciate that, very much. But I don't regret you, or what we've shared. Just like I don't regret Felix. And I would like to share more. I can't guarantee where our paths will lead in future. Neither of us can. There is a chance we are both going to our dooms, and that even if we succeed we will be branded traitors and banished. Wherever my path goes, I don't intend to walk down it with regrets." Her eyes flashed up, bright green-gold, "You will never be a regret."

"I think I have only rarely been as certain of anything as I am of you."

Aloomma's smile was radiant, and she set her empty cup aside and leaned over to kiss Lana's cheek again. 

"That's quite the compliment. I am tired, though, and the final part of the sauna really is a good night's sleep, so shall we?"

Lana chuckled and set her own cup aside, shifting down into the blankets and making room for the Jedi to curl up next to her. 

"We shall."

They slept soundly through the night, and for the first time since her suspicions of Arkous had begun to grow, Lana's sleep was dreamless. Given what her imagination could conjure, that was a mercy really. They rose with the sun, or soon after, and Aloomma brewed the coffee while Lana made breakfast, the smells and sounds of that enough to rouse their companions.

"So..." Aloomma began, eyes flicking around at the rest of the gathering around the table, hands wrapped around her cup of coffee like a lifeline, "Where do we go from here?"

"Well..." Lana began, settling back a little in her chair, mirroring the way the Jedi held the coffee. Really they all held it like that. In so many ways the coffee was the only thing keeping them going. "Although our next moves are important, I think it would be neglectful not to comment on what we have done so far. You've achieved more in your short time here than we ever thought possible. You should be proud."

Aloomma grinned. 

"I think seeing that smile of yours is a much better achievement for the day."

Lana blushed and took a sip of her coffee in an attempt to cover it. 

"Now you're just teasing me."

Jakarro's guttural roar cut that short before it could go any further. 

"Enough of this sitting around and talking! What is our next move?"

All eyes turned to Theron, who shrugged insouciantly. 

"Slicing the Nova Blade files is slow going, but I've already found more references to this Torch person that Margok and Revan were talking about. She definitely heads up a group of Mandalorians based here on Rishi. They were allied with the Revanites but then broke ties, and not on good terms. If we can find her and get her talking she might give us some good intel. Maybe even help us take the Revanites on."

Aloomma rolled her shoulders.

"I've fought my share of Mandalorians. It would be nice to have some on our side for a change."

"Agreed," was the unanimous chorus around the table. 

"It looks like Torch and her crew control their own island not far from here. Think you could head over and see what she has to say?"

Aloomma's eyes flicked to Lana, who was carefully staring at her breakfast and not looking up. 

"...I can do that. I'll contact you when I find her, let me know if you get anything more out of those Nova Blade files."

"Will do. Good luck."

Aloomma nodded and stood, resting her hand on Lana's shoulder for one long moment, giving it a reassuring squeeze before she moved on to pick up her saber once more and hook it back onto her belt. She turned back to see the Sith lord on her feet too, saber in hand. 

"...Lana, I don't-"

"I'm fit to come. Between my powers and the ritual yesterday I'm certainly fit enough to be at your back. You don't have to do this alone."

"I don't particularly want to do it alone, but I also don't want you getting killed."

There was a fire in those amber eyes when Lana lifted her chin, combative but still calm about it.

"I'm a warrior. Like you. We knew when we chose these paths that death was always a risk. You're going to walk alone into a Mandalorian enclave and you think you'll come out with an ally rather than in a box? You might be one of the greatest fighters I've ever seen, but even you have your limits."

Aloomma stepped forward to take her hands. 

"Lana, that's not what I mean. You know that. You are an incredible fighter, and a gifted healer. I couldn't do this without you. But you took a bad hit yesterday and if, because of that, you die today... I could never forgive myself. Open battle is one thing, a fair fight... I would mourn you till the last stars faded, but like this?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I trust you."

"Then trust me when I say I'm fit to fight. We'll stand a better chance with both of us. You don't know what's waiting out there."

Aloomma sighed, resigned, but she nodded all the same. 

"...Fine. Alright. Let's go."


	9. Blood Hunt

There was a local who was prepared to loan them his shuttle for a not insignificant sum of credits, and Aloomma's face was set hard as she checked over it, familiarising herself with the small craft. Lana was making her own preparations, and although she would never admit it, the Jedi was rather hoping they might involve lunch. They'd need the sustenance after a fight with Mandalorians. 

When Lana emerged from the safehouse, Aloomma said nothing, merely hopped into the shuttle and got comfortable, waiting for the Sith to join her. When she climbed in, Lana looked at her for a moment, then settled back to stare out of the windscreen. 

"...Are you going to look that sour all day?"

"I'm glad to have you along. I just wish I had more faith that you weren't hurt."

"Well you need to have some faith in something. Might as well be me. Besides, for all that the rest of the galaxy hasn't noticed yet, this is a war we're fighting. Injury, blood, death... all facts of life in war."

"You're not really lifting my spirits."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention. Shall we go?"

"Any more intel on these Mandalorians?"

"Not yet. I suppose we'll be relying on our diplomatic skills."

Aloomma smiled a little as she navigated the take off in the small craft. 

"...Well, if that's the case, I'd rather have you along than Theron."

That was enough to finally raise a smile from the blonde to her left as she stared out of the opposite window. 

It was only a short hop to the island the locals had pointed out as the Mandalorian enclave, but unsurprisingly as they came in view, turrets emerged and opened fire, sending the small craft spiralling down into the waves as Aloomma tried to cushion their landing with the Force. Fortunately the impact smashed the cockpit open and they managed to squeeze out into the warm ocean, only a small distance from shore. The two women took a moment to tread water, letting the adrenaline pass, and then Lana finally broke the silence. 

"...Thank you."

"For what?"

"Not saying I told you so."

"Waste of breath when it comes to Sith. Come on, looks like the only way we'll get out of here is through good will, and from Mandos that means putting up a proper fight."

"Agreed."

The island itself felt wild when they got there, a fierce lanscape of rocks and menacing trees, with torches burning to illuminate the paths they followed for lack of a better choice. They didn't get very far up the path at all before the first ambushed, which both women finished off swiftly with a grim determination. They didn't have the resources to spare on making a show of it, and there was a better than zero chance that the whole point was to test their strength. 

As the last of the armoured bodies fell, Aloomma whirled once more, saber bared, to check for any others, leaning into her Force senses for the advance warning they might offer her. There was nothing, and she sheathed her blade again, keeping it in hand rather than returning it to her belt. They were both breathing hard, and Lana stepped close to close the distance between them, amber eyes fiery as they met the Jedi's calm pools. Aloomma clasped her arm for a moment, then cupped her cheek in a brief moment of tenderness, wiping away a stray smear of blood with her thumb. Lana pressed a kiss to her palm in wordless thanks, and the two once more proceeded down the path, alert to any sign of movement. 

There was a huge, hulking beast prowling around in front of what seemed like the entrance to the Mandalorian headquarters, and Aloomma took a breath, scanning for weaknesses, for any similarities to creatures she had fought before. 

Lana rolled her shoulders. 

"Any ideas?"

"I'll take front and keep its attention. You harry it from behind, and take care of any troops that might take advantage of the confusion to sneak up on us."

Lana nodded without argument, and both women disappeared simultaneously into the Force. 

Aloomma popped back into sight right in front of the horned beast, blasting it with rocks from the nearby terrain to catch its focus before she lashed out with her saber, harrying and dodging, careful not to stay too close as she darted in and out. She was aware that there were indeed some Mandalorians who were popping up, but Lana was taking care of them, and as yet she wasn't drawing too much of their fire. It wasn't an easy fight, but as the creature finally fell with a roar and a deafening thud, she forced herself to relax. She'd faced worse before, and undoubtedly would again before this was over. 

The gateway towered over them, menacing and unmistakeably Mandalorian. The Jedi didn't jump as Lana walked up behind her, standing next to her for a moment to stare up at it. 

"...Well. I must say. You do pick the most interesting locations for our dates."

"Oh no. No Lord Beniko I am not taking responsibility for this one. If you recall, you weren't invited. You're the one who made this interesting."

"Well... it's better than boring, isn't it?"

Lana grinned, and Aloomma rolled her eyes as she smiled and shook her head. 

"...You're incorrigible. I can see why you and Theron get along so well. Shall we?"

"Let's."

They walked up the stone passageway, still lit by flaming torches, careful not to seem hurried. They were calm and in control, like warriors, not prey. 

The central chamber was huge, decorated with trophies and banners, and as they crossed the light bridge to the central platform, a voice rang out. 

"Made it inside. Huh. Well, since you're here, let's see what you're made of. Meet Jos and Valk, husband and wife, tough as durasteel. Undefeated but still eager to prove themselves."

Two Mandalorian warriors, clad in the classic clan armour appeared from above in jetpacks, landing on the platform in front of them. Lana and Aloomma exchanged a glance, and a wordless nod. They'd faced foes like this before. This would be no different. Without any further hesitation, they stepped into battle, sabers glowing in the low light. 

The creatures that ambushed them mid-battle were a surprise, but not enough to change the tide, and it wasn't much longer before the champions lay on the floor, defeated. Aloomma felt a twinge of regret, but for Mandalorians at least, that had been an honourable death, even if to a Jedi it felt like a cruel waste. The stakes were higher than any other war she'd fought before, and she couldn't afford sentiment, not just yet. 

In the aftermath of the battle, the voice came again. 

"...Have to hand it to you, that was something. Think it's time we met."

The door which had been blocking the main way up from the platform opened, and the two warriors made their way up the steps, to a room filled with lava, falling from the walls, the ceiling, bubbling under their feet. A slight figure in armour was walking across it towards them, a metal floor assembling under its feet into a solid surface with the clan symbol in the centre. 

Aloomma stepped forward. 

"I take it you're the one they call Torch."

The figure removed its helmet, revealing a face which somehow reminded Aloomma of Grandmaster Satele. Not young, no, but not old, lined with experience and battle, and a cascade of red hair which fell around her shoulders, mirroring the lava which continued to pour around them. 

"Shae Vizla. That little nickname, the locals came up with. Hell if I know why."

Aloomma could hear Lana looking around, but was relieved that the Sith didn't feel the need to comment. Theron would certainly have said something regrettable. She kept her own eyes forward, on this battle-hardened warrior before her.

"You recently had a falling out, with the Revanites and the Nova Blades. I could use your help."

"I'm sure you could, Jedi. Tell you what. Instead of whatever grand gesture of cooperation you thought might happen here, why don't we try something a little different? Been a while since I had a decent challenge. I'm taking this opportunity to show my clan how it's done."

Aloomma nodded, shifting into a defensive pose as the helmet went back on, and the slight Mandalorian took off again. Given the environment, this would not be an easy fight, but with Lana at her back she was confident. Besides. It wasn't the first time the weight of the galaxy had been resting on her shoulders in a situation like this. 

The fight was hard, leaping from platform to platform in attempts to avoid the molten rock and torrents of flame. Aloomma could see why Torch had made an appealing and valuable ally to Revan and Margok, bu in the end, with Lana's assistance, the two of them were victorious and the flames around the room quietened, letting the air back in enough to breathe. 

Aloomma walked over to the figure on the floor and offered it a hand up, which, after a moment, the Mandalorian accepted, rising with a grunt. 

"Ugh... not bad. Not bad at all. Been a while since someone's given me a fight like that. You should be proud."

Aloomma smiled as Torch once more removed her helmet. It was good to speak face to face, and she could feel the adrenaline still rushing through her, understand the appeal of a real challenge.

"I can see how you've earned your reputation."

Torch grinned. 

"Likewise. Speaking of earning things, I'd you've earned a bit of intel for that performance. You were asking about the Revanites, right? We were the ones who hooked them up with the Nova Blades, even helped them win a scrap or two. Once they started this secret manipulating all out war nonsense I pulled us out. I've had my fill of war."

Lana's voice cut in behind her, and Aloomma smiled, able to sense the blonde stepping up behind her, always at her back. 

"A Mandalorian who's tired of war? I thought fighting was your whole life."

Shae shrugged. 

"Fighting, yes. War... I guess it depends who you ask. I think it's boring. You spend most of your time waiting around between battles, and then they finally happen... it's just a bunch of random killing. I prefer my fights sporting. Or at least interesting."

That was something to seize on, and Aloomma did.

"And the Revanites don't?"

Shae shook her head. 

"Nope. They stack the deck as much as they can. I do know they've got a whole fleet of warships tucked away somewhere on the planet. Never gave me any real details or coordinates, but they're here. If you want to find them and smash them up, more power to you. I liked this place a lot better before they showed up."

Aloomma grinned, rolling her shoulders as she once more hung her saber on her belt. There was no danger of being stabbed in the back. Not here. Mandos didn't fight like that. 

"If you'd want to join the fight, you'd be welcome."

She meant the invitation. They needed all the help they could get, and Shae was more than capable. 

The redhead shrugged, but there was a light of batle in her eyes which wasn't fading just yet, and Aloomma knew, whatever she said, Shae Vizla could not be written off.

"I'll keep it in mind. Pretty sure I've got enough to do around here though," Torch turned as wounded Mandalorians Aloomma recognised from their scrap outside stumbled in, holding each other up. "Let's get you patched up Vode, I've been going too easy on you!" She glanced back at the Jedi and Sith, still standing calmly in the middle of the room, "Go out that way. There's a speeder you can borrow, it'll get you back to the mainland. Good hunting."

"And to you."


End file.
